Missing
by myrmidryad
Summary: Trouble Kelp's death has been faked by Mud Men looking for a fairy to activate the magic of the first human-fairy hybid. Will Trouble ever escape? Will Holly ever see him again? Warning: Angst in the later chapters and heavy abuse. HxT all the way.
1. Beginning

_MY FIRST REAL STORY!! I MUST HAVE CAKE TO CELEBRATE!! But yes - this is my first ever proper story that I've actually completed, but I'm going to upload it in chapters every few days in case people (readers and **reveiwers**, my friends. Hint hint.) find mistakes and I can correct them chapter by chapter. _

**DISCLAIMER:** _Artemis Fowl owner? Me? I wish_.

* * *

Foaly was not in a happy mood. It had all started with a message from an officer on the monitoring desk. The scopes had picked up a big blip – a troll, big bull, ten miles out of Jasper National Park in Canada, en route to a main road. Foaly had relayed the message through to the Commander – Tusk.

Tusk wasn't a bad fairy, a bit indecisive, but he was practically a godsend after Sool. Anyway, Tusk had decided to ask his deputy, Major Kelp for his opinion. Major Trouble Kelp had instantly taken matters into his own hands and sent out one of the Recon officers – a sprite called Spix.

Spix had gone up top and identified the troll. That was when the troll took him out. Luckily for Spix, the troll hadn't realised he had swiped the officer into a bush, so his chances of decapitation were minimized. Though admittedly, not by much.

Major Kelp had seen the whole thing and instantly took control of the LEPretrieval squad sent out to neutralize the troll. Foaly rolled his eyes. Typical Trouble – always on the lookout for a tricky situation to help out in. Not that anyone minded – after all, the elf was the best.

Holly rushed into Foaly's booth, "Situation?"

"Not much going on," Foaly didn't take his eyes from the screen, "Aren't you meant to be training that new girl? What's her name? Alexis?"

"Alora," Holly snapped. "Do we have visual?"

"Keep your head on!" Foaly whinnied, "That's just what I'm trying to establish! And who died and made you in charge of special Ops?"

Holly sighed and glared at the screen as though it had offended her, "I'm here because who was the last fairy to neutralize a fully grown bull troll on the surface?"

"Some fairy," Foaly smirked, shrugging.

"Ha ha," Holly said wryly, "Visual?"

"Way ahead of you," Foaly swivelled round to face her and gestured grandly at the screen, "I got live feed. Just like last time, red dot is the troll. Those black dots are the retrieval squad, led by our very own Major Kelp. The blue dot is Spix, who is currently taking a time out in a bush, or so we believe."

"Any humans nearby?" Captain Short asked(she had come back to the LEP following the Hybras incident but still helped Mulch and Doodah Day whenever they needed a hand).

"A whole main road full of them," Foaly pointed to a winding snake on the screen labelled 734.

"Great," Holly groaned. That was all they needed.

"Hey, Foaly," Trouble Kelp's voice came through loud and clear, "You alive or are we on our own up here?"

"Sorry, Major," Foaly clip clopped back into his swivel chair and faced the screen, "Visitor distractions."

"Holly, right?" Trouble replied, a trace of amusement in his voice.

"That's right." Holly affirmed, "How're things up top?"

Thousands of miles above, Major Kelp chuckled, "Just peachy thanks, Holly. Any advice you could give regarding this situation would be highly appreciated."

"You got it, Major," Holly nodded, even though Trouble couldn't see her.

Trouble hovered seven metres off the ground, flying at high speed to where his helmet tracker said Spix was currently unconscious. He pulled up the LEP hostile fairies data base and accessed trolls.

"Trolls," Lilli Frond's voice filtered into the Major's earpieces, "Largest recorded at one hundred and ninety kilos. Trolls do not like light or loud noises, locating their prey mostly with their highly developed sense of smell. If faced with troll, run away and call for an LEPretrieval team. Do not attempt to approach a troll. If you see someone attempting to approach a troll-" Trouble cut off the file in disgust. He hated Lilli Frond's voice: it just made him want to hit stuff.

"Major?" One of Trouble's juniors came online, "We have a visual. Repeat, we have a visual. Coming up on your left. Number five out."

Trouble looked down to his left and sure enough, there was the huge bull troll, roaring in pain at the light and the growing noise of traffic assailing its sensitive ear drums. Trouble fought the urge to gasp. The thing was _massive_! Easily the size of a bull African elephant.

"Foaly?" Trouble just managed to make himself sound calm. Just. "Foaly, how the hell did this thing get up here?"

"I'm not actually sure," The centaur admitted, "According to the scopes it just appeared out of nowhere." Trouble could tell Foaly was frowning; he hated it when there was a glitch in his systems.

"Never mind." Trouble shook his head, "Numbers one, two and three set up a hologram in case this gets within view of the road. Four, five, six – with me. Surround and cut off. Set your guns to stun only. Go."

His orders were swiftly obeyed and within seconds the troll was surrounded by shielded fairies with a holographic image blocking it from the main road. They could only hope the troll's bellows couldn't be heard from inside the cars.

Everything was working perfectly. Trouble nodded to himself and gave the signal to fire. Then things went wrong.

On the road, a middle aged truck driver had just fallen asleep at the wheel, having driven all night and most of the day. The steering wheel under his head rolled to the side and the truck veered into the other lane.

A young woman and her teenaged daughter were in the Volkswagen Beetle next to the truck. They never stood a chance and were killed instantly. Their car rolled over into the lane of oncoming traffic. One driver managed to swerve out of the way, but the driver behind him wasn't so lucky.

Her car hit the crushed Beetle dead on and spun through the air, hitting another car on the way. Both of them screeched uncontrollably off the road, the truck which had started the whole thing following.

The truck picked up speed and crunched the first car under its tyres. The gas tank exploded and the front of the truck was wreathed in fire. It pushed the second car in front of it and they both careened full speed into the troll.

Trouble watched the whole thing with horror written on his face. Holly was yelling something to him but he couldn't hear – all he could see was the truck of death, complete with flaming troll bust, roar towards number six.

Without thinking, without a shred of concern for himself, Trouble shot forward and barrel rolled into number six, throwing him out of the way just in time for the truck to crash into his own body.

Foaly and Holly watched the whole thing from number three's visor, their mouths open in horror. Holly could do nothing but watch as the truck continued on its way, gradually rolling to a stop.

Foaly was the first to recover his senses, "Nergal!" He said urgently, addressing number one, "Get out of there now! The fuel tanks…"

Exploded. Violently. Holly imagined she could actually feel the heat on her face and hear the force of the blow. Number three spiralled backwards out of control, burned and shocked, but alive.

Nergal was also alive and began calling out numbers, demanding a check in. The responses were shaky, "Two here,"

"Three alive."

"Four…okay I think."

"Five okay,"

"Six hurt but alive,"

A rush of static on the channel Trouble should have checked in on. That was when Holly Short, Captain of LEPrecon, broke down in Foaly's office and cried.

**Two Weeks Later**

Trouble was alive. He was pretty sure being dead wouldn't hurt as much as this. His entire body hurt, some places more than others. The skin on his chest, for instance, seemed to have been burned, and sent flares of pain racking through the Major's small body whenever he moved, which wasn't often.

He had no idea what had happened, or where he was. Right now, he couldn't see, due to a blindfold tied tightly round his head. He was also pretty sure that he was horribly, embarrassingly naked.

He tried to say something, and his vocal cords rasped painfully, unable to produce anything more then a croak.

"He's awake."

Humans. Trouble considered struggling as he felt heavy footsteps vibrate through the cold metal floor beneath him. He decided against it on the basis that he might be able to gain some information if he lay still and he felt like a dwarf had just tunnelled him through. Not nice.

"A shame his magic was almost dry," A male voice commented. Trouble stiffened. They knew. What was this?

"He can hear us I presume?"

Someone mumbled something incoherent and Trouble could sense the man nodding. "Fairy," He addressed Trouble, "We are going to remove your blindfold. If you struggle or try to escape we will hurt you. Do you understand me?"

The other person mumbled something else and the man sighed, "I see. Never mind, we will give him some water if he behaves."

Trouble's skin itched and tingled as the man knelt beside him and tugged off the blindfold, none too gently. Trouble squeezed his eyes shut against the sudden brightness until his eyes had adjusted, then he opened them cautiously.

He was in what appeared to be a small trailer or portacabin. There was a man, the owner of the voice, Trouble assumed, who was looking down at him with mild interest. He had a slight gingery moustache and flat greasy hair. His eyes were an unremarkable blue and his body was thin and wiry, clothed in an expensive suit. A short, fat man with glasses was sweating in the corner as he scribbled furious notes onto a clipboard.

"Fairy," The suited man looked down his nose at Trouble, "We are going to escort you outside. There you will bury this acorn we found on your person." He held up a small glass capsule, containing soil and one acorn. "We are protected and you have nothing to rely on but your magic, as all your equipment was destroyed in the explosion."

He turned away and addressed the fat man in the corner, "Get something for him to wear later. He can't be naked all the time."

Trouble's face heated with embarrassment. Thank the gods that Foaly wasn't watching, or anyone else for that matter. Except these Mud Men. Trouble narrowed his eyes at the short fat one as the suited one left. The short fat Mud Man glared down at him distastefully and responded by kicking him in the chest. Hard.

Trouble couldn't hold back the gasp of pain or the tears that clouded his vision. His mind was still trying to cope with the agony when the bespectacled man wrenched his head up by the hair and threw him bodily to the door.

Trouble's vision darkened and he passed out for a few seconds. He kept his eyes shut, willing his body to shut down again so he wouldn't have to suffer this indignity and humiliation. He had no such luck as the trailer door opened and the fat man nudged his body with a polished shoe, pushing it down the three metal stairs to collapse in the cold mud outside.

Trouble shivered involuntarily. "Luther," The suited man sounded displeased, "I would thank you not to injure him unnecessarily." He waved Luther away and crouched opposite Trouble. He held out the sphere containing the acorn, "Take it," He urged, "Regain your magic and heal yourself."

Trouble twisted his features into a scowl, "No!" He managed to croak out, "It's what you want!"

The man sighed, "You're only making things more difficult for yourself," He spoke patronisingly, as if to an ignorant, stubborn child. When Trouble only refused again he called over Luther. "Go ahead." He rolled his eyes and turned his back as Luther hurried towards Trouble, sick glee on his face.

He plucked the sphere from the mud and smashed it on Trouble's head. The elf winced and Luther sniggered quietly. He grasped Trouble's slender hand in his flabby sweaty one, crushing the acorn into Trouble's palm forcefully. He pulled their hands to the mud, and though Trouble tried to struggle, he was far too weak.

As soon as the acorn connected with the brown sludge, blue sparks began to rush from it to Trouble, up his arm and into his chest first. The major jerked and thrashed, Luther keeping a death grip on his wrist with one hand and sliding on some mirrored sunglasses with the other.

The suited man started in surprise when Trouble emitted a high keening wail – his brain testing his body functions. His hair grew an extra inch and his nails stretched out. The blue sparks worked to repair his damaged body and in five minutes it was done.

Trouble sank into the mud, utterly exhausted, then suddenly full of life. He knew _mesmer _wouldn't work while the Mud Men were wearing the sunglasses, so shielding was his best option. He tried, but before he could get his molecules vibrating to their full potential, Luther locked a bracelet round his wrist. A painful jolt of electricity shot into Trouble's wrist, and he stopped trying to shield.

"Every time your molecule vibration levels rise above a certain level the bracelet activates," the suited man informed him. Trouble glared at him hotly for his trouble. "But who cares?" The man smiled like a shark which has just scented prey, "We only really need you for one thing, and after that, you're fair science fodder."

"What thing?" Trouble spat, his vocal cords healed. The man laughed and shook his finger.

"If I told you now it would ruin the surprise," The smile vanished, "Come. There is much to do." Trouble found himself held very securely in Luther's grip as the sweaty man followed his boss.

_)O(_

_--BECAUSE I CAN'T DO SIMPLE SPACES...--_

_)O(_

Freda was cold. She shivered uncontrollably, not just from the temperature, but also from fear. Here she came…Freda watched like a cadged animal as a hand stretched towards her and grasped her long dark hair, matted and tangled.

Ellen Parker gave a hearty tug and the girl crawled reluctantly from her small prison. "And so it begins," The woman muttered theoretically, "Luther can't wait to get his hands on you."

Freda shuddered. Luther Parker was Ellen's brother and he took sick pleasure in hurting things. Live things. This was going to hurt.

Fear rose up to claim Freda and the journey from her trailer to the next was a blur. Luther was already there, cackling and rubbing his hands together, for all the world like a cartoon villain. A thick pipe leaned against the wall by his side. Freda gazed imploringly at her captor, Charles Florin. The suited man shook his head and nodded to Luther.

Ellen shoved her forward and Luther grabbed the pipe from the wall, smashing Freda in the back with it.

Freda had told herself firmly earlier that she would not scream, but all self-made promises evaporated as Luther began to beat her in earnest, cracking her back, smashing her sides, whacking her limbs as hard as he could till she was a screaming, sobbing bloody ball on the floor.

Only then did Charles motion for Luther to stop. The fat man did so with disappointment, stroking the pipe fondly. Freda continued to cry in pain after he had stopped, every breath out a moan, growing fainter as her blood seeped away.

"Bring him out, Luther." Freda was vaguely aware of Charles speaking and Luther opening a door and dragging something inside. Perhaps an animal to feed on her blood as an experiment? But then why go to all this trouble? Freda's thoughts petered out and she closed her eyes, wet with tears she had been unable to contain.

The voices were faded now, and Freda could feel herself slipping away. Something knelt next to her and she eased open her eyes slowly. A child? No – a fairy. A hand rested on her head and a trail of blue sparks flowed from him to her.

Major Trouble Kelp had seen some nasty things in his life, but nothing could have prepared him for the raw horror of the Mud Man Luther beating a Mud Maid – a _child!_ With a steel pipe till her body lay broken and battered at his feet. He leaned away to retch and a trickle of bile dribbled off his lip.

Then Luther had dragged him roughly from the small room adjacent to this where he had been rudely shoved and the suited man had simply nodded at the girl dying on the floor as if to say "_Your turn."_

Of course Kelp knelt beside her and rested his hand on her head. He knew this was all going to the Mud Men's plans, but he couldn't allow an innocent to die. "Heal," He whispered, and blue sparks from him to her.

_I see you fairy,_ Whispered a voice in his head. Trouble's eyes widened and he nearly withdrew his hand in shock. _Don't heal me fairy!_ The voice pleaded, and Trouble realised it must be the girl. He shook his head as if to dislodge her and continued to gently push the blue sparks into her.

_No!_ She cried, _you don't know what you're doing! What you've done! No!_ Trouble frowned, pulling his hand away till just a finger rested on the girl's skin. But the damage had already been done.

Light pink-violet sparks erupted from Freda's body and Trouble reared back in shock. What was this? As if in answer to his question, the suited man spoke, "Freda here is an experiment. We captured an elf and grafted its genes with those of a human's. Freda is the result. Amazing really, that she survived, but she did, and with a very special gift buried just beneath the surface. You see, fairy,"

Luther came up behind Trouble and pinned his arms to his sides while Ellen bound and gagged him. Charles Florin heaved a sigh, "You see fairy, the elfin genes unlocked the original human magic. The problem was releasing it. You have just done so. Congratulations."

Trouble growled obscenities into his gag as Luther dragged him back through the door. "Your main use has been served," Charles concluded, "You are now free game to our scientists. Enjoy." He smirked and raised an imaginary glass as Trouble was hauled, kicking and screaming from the trailer.

Charles Florin turned his attention to the girl writhing on the floor in her own blood, the wounds sealed and the blood replaced. Freda gradually stopped moving, apart from the occasional twitch and spasm and Charles nodded to Ellen to remove her. A new chapter in human history had just begun.

* * *

_Dum dum duuuuuum!! Reviwers get to share my celebratary cakes. I have sponge and chocolate. Take your pick! Be aware, even a few words are appreciated! _


	2. Developments

_OMIGOSH! I was grinning like a loon at the fantastic response from xXBeetle Of DestinyXx, Holly25Trouble and ht4eva. You guys rock! And to the other 21 people who read and did not review...I can't be mad. Sorry. I'm too busy grinning like a loon. _

**DISCLAMER:** _I own nothing. sigh_

* * *

Freda was once again in her small white room. She could tell because of the draught blowing over her body, making her skin pimple. She kept her eyes closed. She wasn't ready to take stock of her situation just yet.

Instead, she used her mind. From what Charles had told her, humans as well as fairies had once had their own magic. That was the theory anyway. Freda had always been able to sense the emotions of those close to her, and sometimes their thoughts as well. Now that the fairy had triggered her own magic…

Cautiously, Freda let a tendril of her magic show itself in her mind. It was a light purple colour, and looked like a wisp of silk made of glittering sparks. It was truly beautiful. Freda smiled inwardly as it looped over and around itself, tying in knots and swirls.

She set it free as a pigeon fancier might do his first pigeon, slowly, carefully, hardly daring to breathe lest the spell be broken. The swirl of sparks seemed to evaporate in her mind, though she could still feel them working.

She was gradually aware of Ellen next door, separated by a screen of glass. The woman was worrying about her brother and his sick desire to hurt things. The sparks left her and slipped through the wall to the outside. They eddied across the muddy clearing as if carried on a gentle breeze.

They found Luther cleaning the pipe of Freda's blood; they found Charles busy writing a report of the morning in his personal trailer. They swirled into the last trailer and found Major Trouble Kelp, shivering and still naked though Charles had told Luther to find him something to wear.

Freda frowned and concentrated. The sparks circled above the fairy, and suddenly she could see.

The fairy was curled in foetal position, feet curled and hands tucked under the arms to conserve some warmth. Freda could tell it was a male by the small, tough looking muscles on its arms and torso. His hair was dark, almost black, and his skin was tanned and brown.

_Can you hear me fairy?_ Freda asked, speaking into the creature's mind. The figure on the ground jumped and looked around, eyes wide and fists clenched. Freda spoke again; _I'm not in there with you._ The Major continued to scan the inside of the trailer and Freda's sparks moved closer, invisible.

_I'm Freda,_ She said slowly, _who are you?_

"Where are you?" The fairy asked warily, "I can't see you in here."

_That's because I'm not in there,_ Freda said, _I'm in another trailer. I can talk to you because you released my magic. Thank you._

"You're…welcome?" Trouble sat down slowly, a bemused expression on his face. "You're the girl I healed?"

_Yes._ Freda replied, _it was a trap of course. You were meant to heal me so your magic would trigger mine._

"I see." Trouble lied.

_Quiet!_ Freda exclaimed,_ Someone's coming!_ Sure enough, Trouble turned to the door just as it swung open to reveal a sweating Luther, complete with mirrored wraparound sunglasses.

"You talkin' to someone?" He asked suspiciously.

"Well if I was I wouldn't tell you!" Trouble snapped. Freda groaned in his head as Luther covered the distance between them in two short strides and clenched Trouble's upper arms in two large hands, bringing him up and smashing him against the wall.

"You mind yer manners round me," Luther growled softly. One hand unclenched and grasped Trouble's hair, wrenching his head back so he had to look the Mud Man in the eye. "Now I was goin' to give yeh a sack to keep yerself warm with," Luther shoved his face close to Trouble's and the elf choked at the stink rolling off the Mud Man's hot breath. "But now I'm just goin' to give yer a warnin'," Luther continued, "Don't give me any backchat or cheek, 'cause I can make yer life as unpleasant as it's ever bin. Got it?"

Trouble coughed in reply and Luther smiled, "Good. Now you behave like a nice little fairy," The hand wound in Trouble's hair loosened and rested gently on Trouble's cheek, "Or else." The Mud Man stroked the fairy's cheek, delighting in the way it made the child-like figure shudder before slapping him across the face, hard, and letting him drop to the floor with a thud.

Trouble tried to shield instinctively and cried out when electricity jolted through his body. He jerked for a few seconds after he stopped trying; Luther's hysterical laughter surrounding him, mocking him after the fat man had left.

_Are you alright?_ Freda's concern swirled into Trouble's mind, calming him down, _don't try to speak,_ she warned, _just think speaking to me._

_Yeah, like that's going to work,_ Trouble thought wryly.

_You've got it!_ Freda grinned. Trouble didn't so much as see the grin as feel it – it was a very strange feeling.

_How can you do this?_ Trouble asked, beginning to make mental notes to tell Foaly.

_I'm an experiment,_ Freda explained, _a gene combo of elf and human. Charles says the elf genes unlocked parts of the human brain that have been left unused sine the battle of Taillte. Like you have special powers unique to elves, Charles believes that the human's unique power was telepathy, like I'm using now. Who's Foaly?_

Trouble was trying you digest what the Mud Girl had said (was she even a Mud Girl?) when the last question she had dropped in flashed in his head. _How did you know about Foaly?_ He asked suspiciously.

_You were thinking about him._ Freda said, _since you can't broadcast your thoughts like I can, I'm resting on the surface of your mind, and some of your thoughts brush against me. So who's Foaly? Oh, a centaur, _she went on, to Trouble's shock, _tin foil hat? Not any more…genius? Gadgets…helmets…Holly Short? _

At the mention of Holly, Trouble's brain automatically conjured up a picture of the Captain, complete with moving video and sound.

_Short hair,_ Freda noted, _nice figure; brave; proud; pretty…you like her, but you're not sure if she likes you back and you don't want to jeopardize your friendship…_

_Stop it!_ Trouble's face was heating up again, _don't do that!_

Freda giggled, _sorry,_ she apologised, _I can't help it. You'll just have to practise thinking of nothing. _

_Great._ Trouble rolled his eyes, _that sounds really easy._

_What's your name? _Freda changed the subject.

_Major Trouble Kelp, LEP. _Trouble replied. Instantly Freda was there, asking questions.

_What's the LEP? _

_The Lower Elements Police._

_Lower Elements?_

_Underground. When we lost the battle of Taillte, the Mud Men drove us underground._

_What's it like?_

They continued well into the night, Freda pretending to be unconscious in her trailer while Trouble paced up and down to keep warm. Finally exhaustion overcame the Major and he lay down in a corner, curling into a ball.

_Cold?_ Freda asked.

_You have no idea._ Trouble sighed.

_Yes I do,_ Freda said coolly, _I've lived my entire life here. Believe me, it gets colder than this._ Trouble groaned and Freda smiled, _here,_ she said, _have this…_

A wave of heat filtered into Trouble's mind; tricking his brain into thinking he was warm. It was a comforting feeling and he tugged his limbs in closer to his body. _Thank you._

_Don't mention it. _

_)O(_

_--BECAUSE I CAN'T DO SIMPLE SPACES...--_

_)O(_

Captain Holly Short sat at home in a daze. Just hours ago she had attended Trouble Kelp's recycling. Not that there had been anything left to recycle. Major Kelp's body had been completely incinerated in the explosion.

Holly lay on her side on her futon, eyes wide open, tears trickling down her pasty face. Everyone who had known Trouble had turned up for the recycling, including Artemis Fowl himself, accompanied as always by Butler. Corporal Grub Kelp had barely been able to stand up. Trouble had always looked out for him, protected him, bullied him. Grub had endured countless eye-rolls and boots up the backside from his older brother, but Trouble had always come through, saving his life over and over again.

A timid knock interrupted Holly's thoughts and memories and she rolled half-heartedly off the futon and opened the door. Corporal Grub Kelp stood outside, his LEP uniform creased and his face showing tear tracks. Holly didn't say a word, just opened the door wider so that Grub could come in.

She sat on her futon again and Grub collapsed into a bucket chair. They sat in silence for a long while before Holly broke the silence with a short laugh. Grub looked up in surprise and she met his eyes, a teary smile on her face.

"Do you remember that time," She laughed, "When his retrieval team had to bring in that rogue dwarf? And it buried all of them under twenty tonnes of clay?"

"Yeah," Grub sniffled and smiled a little, "He told his team to use their guns to dig down instead of up and they caught the dwarf right underneath them! Brought it in too," He choked out a laugh and the atmosphere in the room warmed.

Long into the night, Holly and Grub recounted Major Trouble Kelp's many successes and embarrassments, of which Grub as his brother had an endless supply. Finally the two fairies fell asleep, comforted in the knowledge that Trouble would be remembered.

_)O(_

_--BECAUSE I CAN'T DO SIMPLE SPACES...--_

_)O(_

Freda was jolted awake by the bracelet around her wrist shooting a couple of volts of electricity into her body. She rubbed her wrist apprehensively and glared at Ellen through the glass window. The woman laughed and opened the door, locking it behind her.

"Breakfast time!" She announced joyfully, as though it would be anything special. She shoved a bowl of sugary cereal with no milk under Freda's nose. The girl snatched it and crammed the stuff into her mouth with her fingers. It was disgusting, but it kept her alive.

"Where's Helen?" Freda asked between mouthfuls, "And John?"

Ellen scoffed, "Dead. Gladys and Peter too."

"What happened?" Freda frowned, deaths weren't exactly the norm but she didn't care enough to stop eating.

"Died protecting the fairy." Ellen waved her hand contemptuously, "The gas we rigged in the truck knocked out the driver as planned and everything went perfectly. Peter steered the truck into some more cars and off the road and into the troll. Gladys didn't even have to snatch the fairy out of the air – he practically walked into them!"

Ellen guffawed loudly, unaware that Freda was relaying their conversation through to Trouble in the other trailer. "Lucky he survived really," Ellen patted her grey hair, checking that the drab curls were still in place, "Mind you, he did have four bodies shielding him from the explosion once they'd gotten his gear off. After that it was easy. Luther an' me were the cops and we bundled the fairy into a bag before the real cops could get there. Piece of cake."

The woman laughed derisively and yanked the now empty bowl from Freda's fingers. "The perfect crime," She strode to the door, "The fairies think that elf is dead and they have no idea we exist. The elf is ours to do as we want with." She threw back her head and cackled theoretically, slamming the door in her wake.

_Did you get all that? _Freda asked Trouble.

_Every word._ Came the grim reply. _Can you escape?_

_Not until I can learn to use my magic,_ Freda said apologetically, _can you give me some hints and tips?_

Trouble told the girl about how elf magic worked and gradually Freda began to understand. They were interrupted by Ellen dragging Freda out to see Charles.

"Freda," Charles Florin nodded imperiously as the girl was shoved into his carpeted trailer. She looked up at him, her face showing a mixture of hate, apprehension and suspicion. "Freda," Charles folded his hands in his lap, "Your magic has been released. Care to try it?"

Translation – Show me your magic or be electrocuted.

Freda raised her hand to the level of her eyes and studied it carefully. Trouble had said to just let it well up…

Charles' eyes widened as light purple-violet sparks flowed easily from the tips of Freda's fingers. His lips stretched in a sinister smile. "Very good, Freda," He praised, "You have a gift. Anything else? Try this…"

He pulled a small knife from his top draw and cut his finger, holding it out to Freda. "Heal it." He commanded in a whisper. Freda tentatively touched her hand to his. A few sparks travelled across to Charles and he watched in glee as the drop of bright red blood that had appeared was sucked back in and not even a scar was left behind.

"Exceptional," He murmured, holding his hand up to the light, "I wonder…" His head snapped to the door, "Ellen! Take her away and prepare her for the exercise we prepared later. Go!" The last order was directed at Freda, who scrambled to her feet and ran out, straight into Ellen Parker's vice-like grip.

The 'exercise' turned out to be healing a dog that had broken its leg. The healing left Freda tired and drained mentally, but not magically. Over the days, Charles tested Freda with bigger injuries, bigger animals. The constant work left the girl far too exhausted to create an escape plan with Trouble, and the elf resigned himself to waiting. At least he had been given some clothes – simple Mud Children garments.

Finally, Charles decided it was time for Freda to heal something different. Trouble barely got any warning from Freda before Luther had cornered him in his trailer and began to beat him with the same metal pipe he had used to beat Freda weeks ago.

The pipe cracked across Trouble's back and he collapsed with a shout of pain. The pipe smacked him across the face, shattering Trouble's left cheekbone. By the end, both Trouble's legs were broken in eleven different places between them, he had lost three teeth, his cheekbone was shattered, his right arm was twisted at an awkward angle to his shoulder, his left shoulder had been dislocated, his pelvis was cracked and four of his ribs were broken.

Then Freda was let in.

Trouble slipped between consciousness and unconsciousness, vaguely registering Freda talking to him out loud.

_Trouble!_ She screamed into his mind, _wake up! I don't know anything about fairy bodies! I need your help here!_

Trouble reluctantly dragged himself awake and began to guide Freda through the healing. It felt like he was in a dream, like nothing really mattered because he would wake up soon anyway.

Freda fell into a kind of trance as she began to heal her friend, starting with his cheekbone. The glowing sparks sank into Trouble's face and began to pull the shards of bone back into their rightful places, repairing the damage done and replacing the blood lost.

From his cheekbone the sparks moved to the left shoulder, popping it back into place with a sickening crunch. Then they started work on the other arm, twisting it round so it was at the correct angle to the shoulder and pulling the bone back into place, healing the ruptured nerves and blood vessels.

The sparks flowed faster from Freda, covering the elf's chest and fixing his ribs, then moving down to repair his pelvis. They swirled around his legs for what seemed like forever, fixing and mending and repairing for ages before the violet haze around the limbs faded into individual sparks that sank into Trouble's legs easily.

Freda could barely keep her eyes open, but at Trouble's instruction, found the three teeth that had been knocked out and held them in the gaps, waiting for Trouble to tell her they were in the right position before fixing them in place.

Finally she was done. Freda sank to the floor, her energy completely spent. Ellen quickly dragged her away and Luther made notes on the same clipboard he'd been using when Trouble had first seen him. Trouble was left alone in the trailer for the rest of the night to ponder his fate.

The LEP thought he was dead, he had no equipment, the Mud Men wore mirrored sunglasses constantly, so the _mesmer_ was out, and if he tried to shield he got zapped. All in all, his hopes lay with Freda, who was always too drained to do anything.

_Idiot!_ Major Kelp slapped his head mentally, _that's why they're keeping her so busy! If she's tired, she can't escape! She just has to have a break long enough to get strong again…_

He told Freda as soon as he could, but there wasn't much either of them could do about it. Charles progressed Freda onto healing humans – Luther had no qualms about hurting his own species as well as others, and then onto developing her telepathic skills. Before long she could set her mind free from her body and see places up to twenty miles away.

She also found she could solidify the sparks as she let them go and use them to blast objects out of her way. As she progressed the objects grew larger till she could knock a car speeding towards her away without moving.

Another trait of human magic emerged also – even though Freda was exhausting herself every day and constantly using magic to heal, blast and project herself, she didn't need to complete the ritual. Her magic seemed to refresh itself without needing any stimuli from the earth.

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, and still Charles Florin kept Freda too exhausted to do anything but sleep when she was left alone. Trouble tried not to let his frustration get the better of him. He had been trapped in a trailer for seven months now! He was starving – if the Mud Men remembered to feed him all he got was disgusting dry sugary cereal. His hair was long and matted with dirt and the skin under his fingernails was black.

He wondered how Grub was coping with his so called 'death' and if Holly had cried for him. He wondered who had turned up for his recycling and how his mother was. He craved action and freedom. He needed to _talk_ to someone! Freda was the only thing keeping him sane.

Then an opportunity arose.

Luther fell ill with a one-day bug. No one else was willing to cripple an animal for Freda to heal, so she had a free day.

_How long before you're full strength?_ Trouble asked eagerly. Freda considered the question for a moment before replying.

_If I spend today resting, then tomorrow when they come to let me out I should be able to blast them and run. Then I'll come and get you._

Trouble nodded, knowing that though Freda couldn't see it, she would pick up the emotion behind it. _Tomorrow then._

_Tomorrow._

* * *

_Responses? Thoughts? Opinions? Critisism is met with thanks and a cookie. And to those who leave their lovely kind words...I present you with cyber-cake! Be happy! _


	3. Escape

_Hooray! Over fifty hits! Let's hear it for !_

**DISCLAIMER:** _I own nothing._

* * *

Freda woke early, before Ellen came for her. Time to get rid of her bracelet. Trouble would have gotten rid of his, but whenever his magic sparks got too close it shocked him. Freda's didn't do that, as Charles made her use her magic on a daily basis.

Freda brought her wrist to her eyes and glared at it, focusing her mind. A steady stream of sparks wreathed the metal and began to melt it away. Her skin burned where the molten metal connected with it, but her magic healed the wounds before too much damage was done.

It wasn't long before all that was left of her bracelet was a few puddles and blobs on the floor that were already hardening. And just in time – the door flew open and Ellen leaned in and grabbed Freda's wrist, yanking her out.

"Big job this morning," She said importantly, "Luther's just getting his pipe." Freda didn't say anything. She was talking to Trouble.

_Wait till they're all together,_ the elf told her, _then knock 'em out. Go to Charles' trailer first and take all the human money you can find before you come for me. Get it?_

_Got it,_ Freda replied, hoping he couldn't feel her nervousness through the connection.

_Good. Today we escape!_ Trouble paced his trailer restlessly. As much as he didn't like it, he had to make sure Freda knew what to do if he couldn't make it. _Freda,_ he said.

_Yes?_

_If I don't make it, you have to do what I say._ Trouble said firmly. Freda didn't reply for a moment, but when she did, her mind-voice was stiff with resolve.

_Tell me what to do._

Trouble nodded; _first you have to make it to a human city. If you have to – hitchhike. Probe their minds first to check they're not psychopaths._ The girl mind-nodded and Trouble continued, _when you get to a city, find a phone booth. If you have no money, steal some. When you get on the phone, call any random number, but make sure you get though some key words._

_Like what?_

Trouble thought for a moment, _fairies, Gnommish, elves, pixies, sprites, centaurs, Grub Kelp, Holly Short, Foaly, LEP, goblins, dwarves, Haven, Atlantis, LEPretrieval, LEPrecon, B'wa Kell, trolls. That should be enough for Foaly to pick it up. He'll send a recon officer to check it out. When you sense another fairy near, look for the shimmer in the air. That's a fairy shielding. Wave at it and say "Meer anomay kyclamen foly." _

_What does that mean?_ Freda asked hurriedly – they were nearing the muddy clearing where Luther would beat some poor animal to bloody bits for Freda to heal.

_It's basically an old passverse used in the battle of Taillte,_ Trouble explained, _it roughly translates to "I am a friend of the fairies, don't harm me, take me to your leader". The most important thing you have to do is keep this whole place a secret. If the human police barge in here these people might tell them about us, about Haven. Don't tell anyone._

_Right._ Freda nodded, _meer anomay kyclamen foly. Meer anomay kyclamen foly. Meer anomay kyclamen foly._

There was no more time to memorize the Gnommish, for they had reached the clearing. "Ah Freda," Charles greeted her, "Luther is just about to begin. You may look away if you wish."

Luther brandished his pipe with a sick grin and made his way towards the animal tethered in the centre of the clearing – a huge shaggy mutt. It could sense Luther's hostility and growled menacingly, hackles rising along its back.

Freda clenched and unclenched her fists, the magic rising in her veins. Today was the day. Today she would escape.

Too late, Charles noticed something was different. "Freda," He said, turning towards her, "Where's your bracelet?"

Freda smiled at him from under her tangled mass of hair, the twisted knots casting dark shadows on her pale face. "Gone." She said, and threw her arms wide.

Magic exploded from her body, knocking Charles, Luther and Ellen off their feet. Luther was immediately set upon by the dog, and Ellen was slammed into a trailer and knocked unconscious. Charles seemed to be out cold, but Freda wasn't staying around to find out.

Her heart pounded in her throat as she sprinted to Charles' trailer. The door was locked, but she blasted it off its hinges. She threw open the draws in the desk in a panic-fuelled hurry. She was terrified as she rooted through the various papers. Finally she found a safe box. A concentrated blast of angry violet sparks took care of the lock and she grabbed wads of cash from the little metal box.

_What do I put them in?_ She thought hysterically. All she was wearing was a pair of jeans with the pockets ripped off, holey socks and ragged trainers, an ancient T-Shirt that was too small for her and a thin black jacket with a hood and tiny pockets.

_Grab a coat!_ Trouble yelled into her mind and Freda looked around, her eyes wide with panic like an animal's. She could almost feel Charles' hot breath on her neck. There! Hanging from a hook in the corner was a thick black overcoat with plenty of pockets.

Freda threw it on and stuffed the money into the pockets. If she was caught now her pain would never end. Adrenaline pumped through her body as she whirled around…and screamed.

Charles Florin, his suit half covered in mud, was leaning in the doorway, his eyes burning a hole in Freda's head.

"You _bad girl!_" He hissed, stepping forward. "You bad _bad_ girl!"

Freda was hyperventilating, her heart beating a frantic rhythm against her ribcage. This was it. She was going to die. She tried to summon her magic, but she was too panicked. He was going to get an easy kill.

_Freda!_ Trouble screamed, _show me!_ Freda obeyed in a half trance, feeding the fairy a visual through the mind link. Trouble scrutinized the Mud Man. _Charge at him!_ He ordered the petrified girl, _run straight into his left shoulder. Do it exactly when I say. Get it?_

Freda gulped, her heart rate slowing slightly. _Got it._

_Good._ Trouble narrowed his eyes, waiting for Charles to shift his weight onto his right leg…

_Now!_

Freda screamed and charged forward blindly, careening into Charles Florin's weaker left side. The man spun around and fell to the ground with an "Oomph!"

Freda didn't see that however, she was running. Trouble could tell that the fall had only been a temporary delay – the Mud Man would be back on his feet in no time. It was now of never for Freda's freedom.

_Freda!_ He shouted, _leave me! Run to the road! He's right behind you and if you stop to get me he'll catch you, and I'll only slow you down anyway._

Freda's eyes started to weep and she brushed the tears away. _I will come back for you!_ She promised the Major, _and I'll bring your brother and Captain Short, and Foaly too! I will rescue you!_

_Just go!_ Trouble yelled, though as he felt the link between their minds weaken then disappear as Freda ran further away, he prayed to whatever divine entity was listening that she would make it. That she would be able to honour her vow.

* * *

_Sorry it's so short. So? Thoughts? Press the pale purple/blue button that says go. Please?_


	4. Depravity

_Reviews are love people. Let's keep 'em comin'!_

_ht4eva - how could I resist puppy eyes? _

_MYSTERY PERSON - LOL!! XD_

**DISCLAIMER:** _You know the drill._

* * *

Running.

Faster, faster, had to keep running.

Freda ran as fast as her legs could move down the dirt track that led to the main road. She had never felt so free! All her life, exercise had consisted of the walk between trailers and pacing round her cell. Now, it was like all the energy she had conserved was roaring out of her in a tide.

Just keep running.

She chanced a peek behind her. The trailers seemed so far away…there. Charles was in a jeep, speeding towards her.

Freda wanted to break down and cry. To come this far, only to be captured again! It wasn't fair!

She turned and ran again, though she knew it was hopeless. She charged through a bush and one of the branches whipped across her face. Sparks of magic healed it quickly.

Magic! Freda didn't let the sparks sink back into her again; instead she pulled more out, building a solid force. When she guessed she had enough, she turned her head to see how far away Charles was.

The half-crazed man was grinning insanely, his hair askew and his teeth a dirty yellow. He was driving towards her at a horrible speed. Nevertheless, Freda compressed the sparks into a tight little ball, cupped in her hands. This was it.

Charles was cackling gleefully as the jeep bore down on the ragged girl. He didn't notice her cupped hands till they opened wide and released a ball of solidified magic sparks. The man's eyes grew wide and he tried to swerve but the magic was too fast. As it flew through the air it changed shape from a ball to a Frisbee-like disk, which smashed through the windscreen of the jeep and tore off the headrest of the passenger seat.

Charles yelled and ducked, and therefore didn't see the tree looming ahead of him. The jeep hit the tree with a squeal and crunch of metal. Charles, who had neglected to use his seatbelt, was thrown forward and hit the tree head-on. Freda winced. That must have _hurt!_

Still, he was out of the game now, and she was free to get to the road. Freda gave Charles Florin a mock salute before turning smartly on her heel and jogging away.

_)O(_

_--BECAUSE I CAN'T DO SIMPLE SPACES...--_

_)O(_

Freda wondered just how far away the road was. She'd been walking for what seemed like hours, and it was getting dark. She would have to stop soon to rest. She needed to know how far she had to walk.

Freda walked quickly to the cover of a tree, for though it was summer and the nights were warm, recently there had been sudden rainfalls in the night. Freda sat down and made herself comfortable in a cross-legged position. She was going to do what she liked to call 'Spirit Walking'.

Freda calmed her mind and tuned out the noises around her, focusing on her breathing and the steady beat of her heart. It was easy to let her consciousness slip free from her body and float above.

Looking around without any eyes, Freda rose above the branches of the tree and turned to face the way she'd come. Narrowing her proverbial eyes, she sped towards the trailers with a speed greater than any bird's. She was there in seconds.

She could sense Ellen tending to Charles' wounds in the boss' trailer. Luther was nowhere to be seen however, and the invisible entity that was Freda swivelled around, casting her senses.

There! In Trouble's trailer!

Freda swooped down into the portacabin, the walls offering no more resistance than smoke.

If entities could gasp, she would have at the sight of Luther. The fat man's face was a mass of dried blood, bruises and deep bite marks. The dog had obviously disliked Luther very much and it was a miracle the man had escaped.

Luther advanced on a figure standing alone in the centre of the floor. Major Trouble Kelp tilted his chin and smirked at the Mud Man brazenly. He was sick of being submissive.

"Think you're so tough, fairy boy?" Luther gargled.

"Tougher than you, Mud Man." Trouble sniffed. Luther snarled and lunged at the elf. Trouble dodged easily and laughed, literally, in the face of death.

Luther, however, was nimbler than he looked. He pirouetted deftly on one toe and dived at Trouble. The fairy hadn't expected that, and was quickly pinned to the floor. Freda yelled, but was unable to do anything but watch and listen. No one could see or hear her.

"Tougher than me are you?" Luther growled softly, his weight holding Trouble down easily. The fairy squirmed under him but couldn't get away. "I know y'had somethin' to do with that brat escaping!"

"Don't know what you're talking about!" Trouble grunted.

"Bull," Luther spat, "You had somethin' t'do with it! I know you did!"

"So what if I did?" Trouble snapped, his patience gone and his breathing laboured from the weight of the Mud Man sat astride him, "What are you going to do about it? She's gone already!"

"But you're not are you?" Luther smiled sadistically, "And now that the girl's gone, I can focus my attention on you!" He leaned his flabby, mangled face close to Trouble's, "What do y'think of that?"

Trouble's answer was to spit in the man's face. Luther roared in anger and lifted Trouble into the air, slamming him against the wall.

"I'm goin' t'make yer life hell, fairy!" He snarled, shaking Trouble like a rag doll, "Yer gonna be in so much pain, yer gonna _beg_ for death!"

He was interrupted by Ellen calling for him. Luther sneered and threw Trouble to the floor. "I'll be back later, fairy," He growled, "You can be sure of that!" He gave Trouble a parting kick to the gut as he left.

Freda watched anxiously as Trouble clutched his stomach and groaned. Had she escaped only to put Trouble in danger?

Trouble pulled himself up and sat with his back against the wall. "I don't know if you can hear me Freda," He whispered, "But if you can, keep running. And for the love of everything under and on top of the earth hurry!"

* * *

_You know the mantra guys, so let's say it together - reviews are loooooove..._


	5. Hitchhiking

_My love and cookies go out to ht4eva, xXBeetle Of DestinyXx and Anare Silvermoon. I LOVE YOU ALL!! _

**DISCLAIMER:**_ I own nothing._

Freda was exhausted. She had checked the road ahead while Spirit Walking and had started walking as soon as she'd returned to her body. All the while she couldn't stop thinking of Trouble. Guilt seemed to be the wrong word to describe what she was feeling. Guilt to her seemed to describe what a child felt after stealing sweets from a corner shop, or the squirming feeling a girl might get when she made out with the guy she knew her best friend had a huge crush on.

No, she didn't feel guilt. This feeling, whatever it was, went much deeper than that. It churned her stomach and twisted her insides, making her mind go over her escape over and over again.

If she hadn't panicked so hard in Charles' trailer and blasted him, could she have freed Trouble?

If she had run faster could she have freed Trouble?

If she had checked if Charles was unconscious after she first blasted him, could she have knocked him out properly, gained more time and freed Trouble?

If's and but's ran circles in Freda's head till it felt like her eyeballs were being squeezed out of their sockets for lack of room. She tried to calm herself down, slow the thoughts swirling around her mind, but every time she managed to quell them down to a less damning volume, a particularly nasty 'if' would rise to the surface and poke at Freda's brain with a long skinny finger, sneering at her weakness.

She finally reached the main road just as the sun was rising. The long stretch of tarmac was deserted, and Freda sighed. More walking. Great.

To top it all off, she had no food, and her stomach was crying. Even the dry sugary cereal Ellen gave her would be welcome now.

Freda shook her head and resigned herself to the prospect of walking. She knew she had to go left from her Spirit Walk vision, and began the long lonely walk along the side of the road.

As the day progressed, the road grew busier, and Freda came across another hitchhiker at around midday.

He was a scruffy teenaged boy, older than her she guessed, though she had no idea how old she was. The boy had a tatty faded red backpack on his shoulder and his dark hair fell in tangled locks over his face.

From the films Freda had watched Ellen watch through the glass screen, she surmised that this boy was relatively good looking. He was doing a strange thing though – holding out his arm into the road, the hand curled into a fist with the thumb pointing straight up.

"What are you doing?" Freda asked curiously.

The boy looked at her in surprise. He obviously hadn't expected her to speak. "I'm trying to catch a ride," He said, narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously, "What're you doing?"

Freda shrugged, "Same as you, I think."

The boy snorted and turned back to the road, "Well you're not gonna get very far if you just walk along the side of the road. You need to show people you need a ride. Stick out your thumb."

"Why?" Freda probed his mind. He was hungry and waspish, amused and irritated at her interruption.

"Duh!" He rolled his eyes, "It's the universal hitchhiking sign. Where the heck're you from? Mars?"

_Might as well be._ Freda sighed inwardly. But outwardly she said, "It doesn't matter. Where's the nearest place with a payphone?"

The boy thought for a moment. "Edson," He said finally, "Where I'm going."

"Then that's where I'm going." Freda set her jaw. "Thanks." She stuck out her thumb and walked on up the road.

The boy stared after her, wrestling himself inwardly. Eventually he cracked, "Hey, kid, wait up!"

The scruffy girl with dirty black hair falling to her waist turned back, "What?"

"We can walk together." He said, jogging to catch up. "And catch a ride together. I'll make sure you don't get hurt. What's your name?"

The girl smiled and he followed suit automatically – she had the kind of smile that made you smile too.

"Freda. What's yours?"

"Nick. You got any food?"

Freda and Nick walked in companiable silence, taking it in turns to stick their thumbs out into the road. A car stopped for them once and a leery male driver had leaned out, asking Freda if she wanted a ride. She didn't have to be telepathic to know it was a bad idea, and refused.

"Aw c'mon sweetheart," He smiled, reaching out a hand and patting Freda's arm fondly, "Lemme help you out!"

"She said no, man." Nick stepped between them, his voice cold, "Back off."

"An' who're you?" The man snapped.

"I'm her brother." Nick lied, "Now leave us alone."

The man grumbled under his breath but drove off anyway.

"Thanks." Freda nodded to Nick.

"No problem." Nick replied, and they kept walking.

The sky was just beginning to darken when the pair got lucky. A woman pulled over in a pickup truck, fair hair pulled into a pony tail under a baseball cap.

"Hey, are you kids alright?" She asked concernedly.

Nick looked at Freda, then back to the woman, "We'll be fine as soon as we get to Edson, maam. Any chance of a ride?" He blinked big blue-black eyes endearingly.

The woman scrunched up her nose, considering it. "What are you guys gonna do in Edson?" She asked doubtfully.

"We have relatives there," Nick brushed the question aside with an easy lie.

The woman sized them up then up, then reached back and popped open the door to the back, "Hop in."

Nick grinned gleefully at Freda and jumped in. Freda smiled shyly at the woman and sat down carefully, watching Nick closely and copying him when he put on the seatbelt. She stared out of the window in awe as the engine revved to life and the car rolled out onto the road.

"Wow," She murmured, her head pressed against the cold glass of the window. She'd never been in a car before.

Nick got chatting to the woman, whose name was Mary, and easily spun a complex web of lies about his and Freda's lives way away in Montreal. He talked about a fictional mother who sold coffee for dirt cheap prices and an abusive father who took out his lack of wages on his wife and son.

In the last part, Freda sensed the vestiges of truth among the lies and gazed at Nick sorrowfully. The boy grew uncomfortable with her knowing look and fell silent.

The distance flew past faster now that they were on wheels and Freda fell asleep, lulled by the smooth motion of the car along the road.

Nick shook her awake when they arrived and the girl blinked the gunk from her eyes and unfolded her stiff limbs from the positions they'd seized into, practically collapsing from the car.

It was dark and Freda shivered, goose bumps rising along her bare arms. She quickly pulled on her coat and burrowed into its warmth. They were in front of a sign that read 'Sunset Trailer Park'.

"I'll just see you inside," Mary was saying to Nick, who agreed readily enough. He strode confidently up to a large Winnebago and knocked on the door. It opened wide, spilling yellow light out onto the ground.

"Nicholas!" An old woman grabbed Nick in a bear hug and squeezed him tight. From behind her back Nick motioned to Freda to get Mary away. She nodded and turned to the blonde woman who had given them a lift.

"You can go now," Freda said in what she hoped was a confident reassuring voice. Mary smiled and nodded.

"You look after yourself now," She pulled Freda into a hug and patted her on the head, "And eat something! You look like you haven't eaten for a month!" She smiled one last time then left.

Nick's Grandma hadn't seen her or Mary, and had retreated into her trailer, Nick with her. So Freda stood in the dark, her coat wrapped around her frail body. Just then a window above her opened slightly and a couple of chocolate bars dropped out.

Freda crouched and scooped them up, her eyes wide. She looked up to see Nick's face peeking down at her. He grinned and gave her a thumbs up before pulling the window shut and drawing the blind down, leaving Freda in the dark once more.

She didn't mind though. She had food, and she'd only tasted chocolate once, years ago. Gladys had been given a bar by John for her birthday one year. She had been on a diet at the time, so she threw it into Freda's cell for the hungry little girl to wolf down.

Freda ripped open the wrapper bearing the slogan 'Hershey's Cookies 'n' Crème' and tore off a chunk with her teeth. The taste was indescribable. It was easily the closest thing to heaven Freda had ever been. She closed her eyes in ecstasy and savoured the smooth chocolate melting in her mouth, the chunks of cookie remaining on her tongue, bursting into little balls of flavour when they moved.

Freda swallowed and dug into the bar greedily, sighing in delight as the sugar flowed into her bloodstream, giving her the precious energy she needed. She decided to save the other bar for later, in case she didn't get food from anywhere else.

Dinner over, Freda discarded the wrapper in a nearby bin and walked out of the trailer park. She walked along the deserted night roads, making her way into town. Everything was lifeless and locked up, and thought Freda looked, she couldn't find a telephone booth anywhere.

She yawned. Maybe she'd sit down for a second…just for a second…then she'd start looking again…

* * *

_Thoughts? Sorry for the lack of Trouble, but he will be back, I promise!_


	6. Action

_I decided tp update again because I'm really a nice person. _

_Love and cookies go out to Anare Silvermoon, xXBeetle Of DestinyXx, ht4eva, shadowfire and Aria Cantata. I love you all!_

**DISCLAIMER: **_Surely you know by now._

"Hey kid! Wake up!"

Freda opened her eyes blearily. Where was she?

"Off my doorstep kid! Shoo!"

She looked up to see a huge Native American man in jeans and nothing else leaning over her. Of course, she was in Edson.

"Sorry," She muttered, hauling herself to her feet, "Sorry…"

The man snorted and shook his head before turning back inside. Freda blinked tiredly. She needed to find a telephone booth.

She walked into town and sat on a bench underneath a poplar tree, munching on her last Hershey bar. She threw the wrapper into a trash can and waited for the shops to open so she could buy some water, and more food.

Finally, the convenience store adjacent to her bench lit up, and a woman with short frizzy grey hair opened the door. Freda jumped up and ran inside.

The store was gloriously warm and Freda hugged herself tight, trying to draw the heat into her. Then the urge for food became too much and she ran over to the candy selection. There was a soda fridge next to it and she picked a diet coke out of it, the only one she recognised, as Gladys used to drink them all the time.

To the store owner's credit, she did little more than raise an eyebrow when the scruffy, skinny girl with the giant black overcoat heaped half the candy selection on her counter and balanced a diet coke precariously on top.

She racked it all up and asked for twenty eight dollars and forty three cents. The girl pulled a wad of cash from a pocket and handed it all over, wide-eyed. Freda had never learned how to count, or read properly. The store owner put all the candy in two bags and nodded the girl away.

Her husband came out from the store room at the back just as the girl turned away with her two bags full of booty.

"Who's the freak with the huge hair?" He muttered.

Freda stiffened at the remark. Luther had always called her a freak. Was it because of her hair? She frowned and looked around the store for an extra item.

The man looked up as the girl in front of him placed a large pair of silver scissors on the counter. She glared at him as he took the money and gave her back the change and flounced out without so much as a thank you! The nerve of some people!

Outside, Freda crammed another Hershey bar into her mouth and washed it down with a gulp of diet coke as she fitted the scissors on her fingers. Here went nothing. She brought the blades to her hair and pressed her thumb and forefinger together. The scissors made a satisfying _sssssnnip!_ And Freda watched as a chunk of thick black hair fluttered to the ground.

Once she started, it seemed impossible to stop, and soon her hair just reached past her chin, and she was surrounded by chunks of black hair, matted and dirty.

Freda took several deep breaths and studied herself in the mirrored blades. She looked…different. Freda shrugged. She wasn't exactly a judge of human beauty, and she swept the locks of her hair into one of her empty bags and stuffed it in a trash can.

By now it was late morning, and though Freda didn't know it, it was a Saturday, so the streets were filling up. Freda frowned determinedly – she needed to find a phone booth. But how? Should she ask? How should she ask? How to get someone's attention? And that done, what to say?

Just then her attention was caught by a young woman running past, her eyes wide and her face panicked. She ran up to a stranger and spoke to him in a desperate voice, "Excuse me, have you seen a little boy? Blonde hair, about so high?"

The man she'd asked shook his head pityingly and the woman bit her lip and turned to another stranger; a woman with several bags full of shopping, "Excuse me, have you seen a little blonde boy?"

The woman shook her head and walked away with a "Sorry,"

The young woman asked a couple more people when she caught sight of a child crying in a corner. She ran over and hugged him tight while telling him off, "Don't you ever run off like that again, okay? You could get lost!"

Freda considered how the young woman had asked strangers if they had seen the boy. She always started with 'excuse me..?' Freda nodded decisively. That's how she would start. Then she'd ask if they knew where a phone booth was.

She stood up and brushed the last strands of hair off the coat, then walked up to a plump kind-looking woman pushing a pram. "Excuse me..?" She asked tentatively. The woman smiled at her and Freda continued, more at ease.

"Do you know where a phone booth is?"

The woman cocked her head and frowned with one eyebrow, "I think there's a payphone behind the bakery," She said finally, "You go through that ally there and into the delivery area out back and there's a pay phone there. Alright, sweetheart?" She smiled at Freda, who smiled shyly back.

"Thank you," She nodded and jogged into the ally. It led to a concrete yard encircled by a tall brick wall and a strong-looking gate. A couple of large bins lurked in a corner and piles of crates lined one of the walls, but sure enough, there was a pay phone attached to the left wall.

Freda jumped up once in triumph and grinned wide before she went over to the booth.

There was a thick laminated book hanging from a cord and Freda hefted it into her hands. She had to call a number, any number Trouble had said, and in this book were hundreds of numbers!

She flicked to a random page where the lamination had peeled off and tore it out. She studied the steps printed on the inside of the phone. The first was to put in the money.

Holding the phone and page in one hand, Freda dug out a handful of cash from her pocket and slotted it all in to the gap with an arrow indicating that was where the money was meant to go in.

On the tiny screen, the numbers went up as she put more money in and Freda bit her lip nervously. This was the tricky part. She picked a number at random from the torn out page and dialled it carefully on the keypad.

When she as done, she held the phone up to her ear, the way she'd seen people do in the movies Ellen watched. She felt like she would explode from nerves as the phone rang on the other side.

"Good morning, Frankie's pizza delivery, how may we help you?" A chirpy female voice answered. Freda nearly dropped the phone in shock.

"Uh…um…" Freda stuttered, "Fairies!" She blurted.

"What?" The female sounded confused, "Are you sure you've got the right number?"

"Goblins!" Freda continued, the words coming easier now, "Trolls, B'wa Kell, Holly Short, Grub Kelp, Foaly, Haven! Er…Atlantis, sprites…"

The female voice laughed, "Hey, Al, we got a nutter here!" A male voice answered and there was a click and then a steady continuous beep.

Freda was more confident now, and dialled more numbers till her money ran out. Then she sat down on a crate. All she had to do now was wait.

* * *

_Thoughts? Love? Please press the debatable coloured button below. Cookies to reviewers!_


	7. Meeting

_Still no Trouble, I'm afraid, but there is some Holly! And Foaly! Let's all be happy together! _

_Special thanks go to the following - xXBeetle Of DestinyXx, Anare Silvermoon, ht4eva, bubbles, 3SmartGirl, Aria Cantata, pixies.rock.hard, Someone, Veggies are good for you (and specially to you, no, I haven't read the Time Paradox. YET!) and Holly25Trouble. I LOVE YOU ALL!!_

**DISCLAIMER:** _You know the drill._

* * *

Alora Weirstone hurried to keep up with her mentor, Captain Holly Short. "Why does Foaly want us?" She asked.

"Because he does," Captain Short snapped. Alora didn't take it to heart. The Captain had been snappy ever since that Major had died in the field in a retrieval operation. Truth be told, she was a lot better now than she had been.

Alora followed Holly in silence as the automated doors to Foaly's operation booth opened with barely a hiss.

"Holly!" The centaur whinnied, "How've you been?"

"Great, thanks, Foaly," Holly rubbed her temples, "What did you want us for?"

Us? Alora looked up in surprise. She had assumed the call had just been for Holly and she was just tagging along.

"Sentinel call," Foaly frowned and swivelled to face his beloved computer screens, "Like the one Fowl tripped when Butler had been shot. Originated from a pay phone outside a bakery in Edson, Canada. Loaded with key words, just like the Fowl case. Just a random string of words."

"Go on." Holly nodded, taking a seat and motioning for Alora to do the same.

"Listen," Foaly pulled up the file and pressed play.

"Uh…um…" A female voice, young, quite nervous, "Fairies!" There was a pause, "Goblins! Trolls, B'wa Kell, Holly Short, Grub Kelp, Foaly, Haven! Er…Atlantis, sprites…" The call ended and Foaly pulled up another, his face grim.

"Whoever it was called four other places," He said, "And spouted off the same stuff. And guess what? I checked these places, and they're all directly under each other in the phone book."

"And she knew our names." Holly nodded. "This is serious."

"Oh yes." Foaly nodded. His paranoia must be going into overdrive, Alora thought. She had heard he used to be so paranoid; he had worn a tin foil hat to stop the humans reading his mind. He ought to be on medication!

"And you want us to check it out?" Holly affirmed. Foaly nodded. "Consider it done." Holly stood up and Alora hurried to follow. Foaly gazed after the Captain sorrowfully. She had really taken Trouble's death very hard. He knew she and Grub met up once a week to just keep each other company. He wondered if she would ever really be Holly again.

_)O(_

_--BECAUSE I CAN'T DO SIMPLE SPACES...--_

_)O(_

Freda was in a half doze. She had eaten all her food and bought a bun from the baker before it closed. It had been hours since she had made the call and she wondered if the LEP was coming at all. Maybe she should call some more people just to make sure? But Trouble had said just one would be enough.

Freda decided to Spirit Walk and float above the town so she would have some time to prepare for the LEP's arrival. If they ever arrived. She closed her eyes and let her inner consciousness drift free from the confines of her body.

She rose on an air current and hovered above the town, directly above her body below. She waited for another hour before her sensitive spirit felt two _things_ approaching the town from the south-east.

Freda narrowed her proverbial eyes and studied the _things_. Or rather, the empty space where the _things_ were meant to be – they were invisible.

This was it! This must be LEPrecon! She spiralled down through the air and sank into her body. As soon as she 'woke up' Freda craned her head up, her eyes searching the dark night sky for the shimmer of a fairy shielding.

She was so focused on the sky she didn't notice the shimmering patches on the wall till her senses warned her. Her head snapped around and fixed its gaze on the top of the wall. The shimmer was barely visible, but it was there. Now what was the passverse?

"Erm, fairies?" Freda tried, "Don't hurt me. Um…Meer anomay kyclamen foly? Yeah, meer anomay kyclamen foly."

Alora opened a channel to Holly, "What should we do? She knows the old passverse."

Holly rolled her eyes under her visor. State the obvious why don't you? "Foaly?" She spoke into her helmet mike, "You there?"

"All the way, Captain," Foaly's voice was cheerful over the mike.

"Did you hear what the Mud Girl just said?" Holly asked snarkily. "What should we do? Bring her in?"

"I'll ask the Commander." Foaly sounded less chipper now and Holy felt a twinge of guilt.

"Well she knows we're here, so…" Holly prompted.

"Follow protocol," Foaly told her, "Don't show yourself, don't communicate…"

"Thank you, Foaly, I know the protocol." Holly cut him off and Foaly whinnied hurtfully before cutting the line. Holly sighed. What was wrong with her? She was pushing away one of the few people who still cared about her.

Still, work went on. "Alora," Holly said, "You heard the centaur. Follow protocol."

Meanwhile, Freda was regarding them nervously. "Well you haven't shot me," She started to talk to them and herself to fill the silence, "Which is a good thing. But you're not saying anything either, so you could be talking to your bosses back at base and getting instructed to shoot me, which is a bad thing.

"And you're still not doing anything," Freda laughed nervously. "Well Trouble said that in this kind of situation you'd bring me in and interview me then give me a mind wipe…"

Holly was shell shocked. Trouble? As in…Trouble? Trouble Kelp? Trouble Kelp who was dead? Who had been dead for almost eight months now?

Without thinking about the consequences, Holly unshielded and flicked up her visor. The girl looked surprised, then happy, then afraid, then wary. Holly activated her wings and flew down to hover at eye level with the girl.

"Who's Trouble?" She asked harshly. The girl studied her for a moment, taking in her brown skin and cropped red hair.

"You're Holly aren't you?" The girl grinned, "Captain Holly Short LEPrecon unit!"

Holly took a deep breath. "How do you know who I am? And more importantly, what do you know about Major Kelp?"

The girl's face dropped the smile, "He's hurt, in danger. We need to rescue him; I promised I would be back for him."

"Where is he?" Holly asked briskly, concealing the hope exploding violently in her chest.

"Miles away," The girl said, "Down the long road. I'm Freda by the way. I could show you what he was like when I last saw him…"

Holly frowned, "How? Do you have video footage?"

Freda shook her head, "I have mind-footage. I can show you…here…" She reached out her hands and touched Holly's head lightly with the tips of her grubby fingers.

Holly gasped as sounds and images flowed into her mind. She saw a fat man pinning a skinny, dirty elf barely recognisable as Trouble Kelp up against a wall in some sort of filthy trailer then throwing him to the floor and kicking him viciously in the gut.

Freda took her fingers away and nodded sadly, "We need to get him out. Luther will be hurting him maybe even as we speak. I promised I'd go back for him."

Holly regarded the human through hazel eyes. Then she made one of the snap decisions she was famous for.

"We will go back for him." She said, "Right now. Alora!" She turned to the other shimmer, "Go back to the chute. I'm going after Trouble. Tell Foaly he's alive and in danger. I'll call for back up if it's needed. Go!"

The shimmer rose without a sound and flew away. Holly turned to Freda and pulled a length of Cam Foil out of her backpack. "How do you feel about flying?"

* * *

_Soooo?? Action is taken! Love? Reviewers get cookies!_


	8. Rescue

__

Trouble's back! Everybody cheer!

_Special love and thanks to good ol country girl, bubbles, 3SmartGirl, Aria Cantata, catsrae, xXBeetle Of DestinyXx, Anare Silvermoon and ht4eva. To catsrae - yeah, Freda has been getting a lot of screen time, but from here on in it focuses less on her and more on Trouble and Holly._

**DISCLAIMER:** _I own everything!! I should also warn you that I'm a compulsive liar._

Trouble Kelp moaned and spat up blood. That brute of a Mud Man had been in earlier and focused his attention on Trouble's stomach. He had force-fed the fairy boxes of sickly sweet dry cereal and then proceeded to viciously beat him till the food came back up.

Trouble's magic was gone. He had nothing left, and he knew that the next beating might well be the last. The muscles in his stomach convulsed and Trouble leaned over and retched.

Sour bile clogged the back of his throat and trickled down his chin in a sticky dribble. He coughed and tears stung his eyes at the pain it caused his ravaged body. He let his head fall back with a gurgle and contemplated his fate.

Freda may have reached a phone, but even then it was possible that Foaly's satellite piggyback system would malfunction. Maybe the call had gotten through and Tusk was debating over some nuance in the LEP handbook. Maybe Freda had been arrested or something before she could make the call. Maybe she hadn't been able to hitchhike and was still walking. Maybe she had hitchhiked and some psycho had killed her!

Trouble groaned. Too many variables.

He drifted into a disturbed sleep, his dreams broken and confused, filled with pain. When he woke up, Luther was there, pinching his skin so hard it bled, taunting him.

"Where're yer fairy friends, eh?" He sneered, "Forgotten all about you now. An' the brat'll be picked up any day now, an' then yer last hope'll be gone. Yer all washed up, fairy! Pathetic. At the bottom o' the heap now. Pah!" He spat and the blob of phlegm hit Trouble's face with disgusting accuracy.

Trouble's face twisted and he raised a shaking arm to wipe the blob away. Luther stopped his arm in midair and clamped his hand on it hard. The limb was stick thin, and Luther could have snapped it easily, but he chose instead to haul the arm up and direct it to the glob of spittle.

With relish, the sweaty Mud Man pressed Trouble's weak, unresisting hand into the phlegm and wiped it all over the fairy's gaunt dirty face. He let the arm drop to the floor and laughed derisively.

"Disgustin'!" He proclaimed with a snigger. "Jus' like you! No one'd want to save a filthy disgustin' slug like you!" He threw back his head and laughed long and loud. When he was finished, he stood up and let himself out, giving Trouble a parting kick as he went.

Trouble felt the spit congeal on his face and felt like crying. It was true. If any of his colleges from the LEP could see him like this…was he even worth saving?

Tears rose unbidden to the Major's eyes and though he tried to hold them back angrily, there were too many of them. The liquid made salty tracks down his filthy cheeks and Trouble closed his eyes in despair.

He hated feeling so weak! So worthless! He had always been the strong one, the brave one, the bold one. He was always in the front line for battle. He had chosen Trouble as his name at his graduation ceremony for Frond's sake!

But he was no use to any one here. His magic was used up and his body still needed extensive repairs. Luther had cracked several of his ribs, and now the pain was overwhelming.

_Sleep..._ his treacherous mind whispered; _just go to sleep and the pain will all go away…_

Trouble forced his mind to stay awake. This was tough, but he was tougher! He could live through this!

But what about tomorrow? Doubts began to crowd his head, creeping tendrils of dark green treachery. Tomorrow held no hope, no promise except that of more pain at the hand of Luther Parker.

His vision blurred and tilted and Trouble retched. It felt like he was on one of the roller coasters in one of the Atlantis theme parks. The floor seemed to lift and sway under him and Trouble gave a shuddering groan. He had always hated roller coasters – strapped in with no escape as the carriages rocked and rolled, tipping you over and under, and you with no control over your fate if something went wrong.

To Trouble's muddled brain, dimmed with pain, Luther seemed to mutate when he next came in. His eyes grew from muddy brown to a mocking fiery red. His fingers stretched and his nails elongated into horrific claws that scratched at Trouble's body, flaking off the skin and filling the empty space with fire that itched and burned. The Mud Man looked as though he had sharp teeth, large and white in a cruelly grinning mouth with no lips.

Trouble shuddered as his delirious imagination transported him from a dirty trailer floor with a sadistic human torturer to a fiery hell where a mutated monster laughed and taunted him. The monster could read his thoughts and cackled gleefully while reading them aloud.

And suddenly there was an audience; huge stands full of screaming, laughing little demons – not the ones from Hybras; twisted creations of Trouble's own mind.

The monster pulled a roll of parchment from Trouble's ear and read a little of it to himself. Its eyes glowed bright and it screamed with mocking laughter.

"Here's a good one!" He bellowed to the crowd, which hopped up and down, screeching with glee. "Holly Short!" The monster shouted with bravado.

On the burning ground, Trouble stirred, "No," He muttered weakly, "That's private…you can't read that…"

The monster waved the parchment out of reach, just above Trouble's head, taunting him. "Private, eh?" Its eyes seemed to expand and burn brighter, "Let's see what's so important!"

"No!" Trouble protested, but he was too weak and no one could hear him.

"Holly Short!" The monster crowed, "First time Mr Kelp saw her!" He snorted with laughter, "He's walking through the corridor on the way to meet the new LEPrecon recruit, the female test subject. He go's into Commander Root's office and that's when he sees her!"

The demon crowd whooped and cackled and the monster paused for effect before continuing, "He thinks she's pretty," He cried, "Nice figure, pleasing face. He hopes she will do well in recon, and tells her so. Pah! Boring!" The monster ripped the top half of the parchment off and threw it to the crowd. They pounced on it and tore it to shreds.

"Over the months and years," The monster continued, "Mr Kelp builds up a friendship with Miss Short and gradually begins to see her as more than just the female test subject, and then more than a friend. He likes her more than that, but is too afraid to tell her for fear of rejection!" The monster guffawed loudly and the crowd hooted derisively.

Trouble felt his cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment. The monster leaned down low and Trouble could feel its breath scorching his face.

"You think she'd ever like a waste like you?" It snarled, "Look at yerself!" It whipped a large mirror from the air and angled it so Trouble could see his own reflection.

His hair was lank and matted, his face was gaunt and there were dark hollows around his eyes. His bones were poking through his skin, which was caked in dirt and grime. His clothes, Mud Children's, were ragged and torn, his bare feet were cut and black with filth.

"A face only a mother could love!" The monster smashed the mirror and the pieces cut into Trouble's already bleeding skin. "Freak!" The monster yelled in Luther's voice, pointing a ragged claw at him, "Freak!"

The crowd took up the taunt, _"Freak! Freak!"_ They howled and gibbered, _"Freak! Freak!"_ The world spun and Trouble curled into a ball, clenching his eyes shut and trying to think of something, anything that would drown them out.

"_Freak! Freak! Freak! Freak!"_

Trouble screamed wordlessly, the harsh note scraping against the inside of his throat and making him shake and jerk.

In the trailer, Luther giggled as he watched the fairy have some sort of a seizure, screaming and juddering on the floor. The man clapped his hands together and got up to leave. His work was done.

Outside, Holly Short barely restrained herself from leaping on the despicable Mud Man and introducing him to her neutrino blaster. She and Freda had just arrived in time to see Luther leave the trailer. Holly could hear Trouble's screaming inside peter out into a whine of pain.

"Let me kill him."

Holly turned to the Mud Girl in surprise. Her short black hair framed a face that was filled with cold anger, and Holly could see the unchecked fury roiling behind Freda's eyes. She almost considered letting the girl do as she wished, but there would be a tribunal later, and for now the girl was her responsibility.

"No," The fairy focused her gaze on the trailer, "Major Kelp is our priority here." So saying, she ducked down and shielded. Freda watched as the shimmer sped across to the trailer door and use _something_ to melt the lock.

Freda didn't bother with ducking down – she simply ran into the trailer after Holly.

The fairy and the hybrid were met with a sickening sight.

Trouble Kelp was shivering in a corner, a shadow of his former self. His body with thin and malnourished, a bucket in the opposite corner gave off an appalling stench and there were pools of vomit spattered on the floor.

Holly retched, leaning away and covering her nose. Freda bit her lip, her eyes wide. She had never seen anything like this before. Luther had really gone to town on Trouble Kelp.

Holly composed herself and strode over to Trouble's weak body. She knelt on the floor and lifted the Major onto her shoulders. She nearly gasped as she stood up. He weighed barely anything. If she hadn't had her arms locked around him, she wouldn't have noticed anything was different.

She moved out of the trailer carefully, making sure not to jar the frail bones in Trouble's body too much. She made sure she was covered in as many directions as possible before laying Trouble down gently.

Freda came over and knelt opposite so she and Holly were facing each other over Trouble's body. Holly placed her hands on Trouble's forehead and whispered, "Heal," Blue sparks flowed down her hands.

She looked up at Freda, "Can you help?"

The girl nodded determinedly, her eyes like chips of ice in the gloom. She reached out her hand and just _brushed_ Trouble's arm…

Freda gasped as she exploded with magic, the violet sparks bursting out of her in a raging torrent. Holly gaped as Trouble's body literally lifted from the ground, floating in a cocoon of purple magic.

Freda's eyes fluttered closed and she breathed heavily. "Help…" She ground out, "I can't…control it!...Don't…know…what I'm…doing..!"

Holly overcame her shock and lay her hands back on Trouble, where they were instantly wreathed in Freda's magic. Holly helped the inexperienced healer to control the flow of power and direct it to the areas of Trouble's body that needed it most.

The process was slow and difficult, but Holly had experience with field healing, and Trouble wasn't as difficult as Butler had proven to be.

Before long, they were through the worst, and Trouble's brain began to run checks, jerking and thrashing the limbs and making Trouble groan unconsciously after grating his throat with a high keening cry.

Finally it was done, and Holly's magic was completely spent. She was exhausted, and it was Freda who had to pull the two elves out of sight. Holly dimly registered how Freda didn't seem to be tired, even after such an extensive healing.

She shook the thought from her mind as she smashed the glass sphere containing a spare acorn and planted it carefully in the earth. Her magic instantly came flowing back and Holly grinned exuberantly. Then she remembered their situation, and Trouble, and her face returned to its grim frown.

She turned to Freda, "Don't you need to complete the ritual?" She asked. The girl shook her head.

"I don't need to complete a ritual," She explained, "My magic is limitless. I think it draws its strength right from the earth, without needing an acorn to connect it."

Holly narrowed her eyes, but couldn't hear any scathing notes in Freda's voice. "We'll have to get you checked out," She nodded finally.

"We definitely will."

Holy jumped a foot in the air. "Foaly! Don't do that!"

"I'm sorry," Chuckled the centaur, for it was he, "I can't help it. Now your little apprentice told me an unbelievable thing, Holly. Any guesses at what it was?"

"No." Holly replied flatly.

"Aw, Holly you're no fun," Foaly pouted. He paused, but Holly didn't ask, so he had to tell. "Well since you're so interested," He said moodily, "Alora said you said Trouble was alive."

"She told the truth." Holly said calmly.

"Which is ridicu-what?" Foaly was caught off guard and his left ear twitched, "Great joke Holly," He said coldly, "I'm splitting my sides down here."

"You don't believe me?" Holly challenged, "Here," She panned her helmet to look at Trouble's gaunt face, "Take a look for yourself."

Foaly was speechless. He quickly ran over a dozen scans on the image and the results were all the same: Unless this was a clone, Trouble Kelp really was alive. Silently, Foaly reached out and pressed a few keys, accessing Corporal Kelp's helmet speakers.

"Grub," He said quietly, "You have to come down here right now."

The Corporal muttered a few curses but said he'd be on his way. Foaly pressed a few other keys and asked Commander Tusk to come too. This was immense. Trouble Kelp had just come back from the dead.

* * *

_Soooooo?? I feel really bad for being so mean to poor Trouble..._


	9. Realisation

_I love you all so much, I updated. Special love goes to pixies.rock.hard, xXBeetle Of DestinyXx, Anare Silvermoon, good ol country girl, 3SmartGirl and ht4eva! You guys rock!_

**Disclaimer:** _You know it._

Commander Tusk was the first to the operations booth. He spluttered a lot when Foaly showed him the image and told him what Holly had just told him – Trouble Kelp had been kidnapped by humans that used him to jump-start the magic of a human-fairy hybrid. The hybrid – Freda – had unlimited magic, and could solidify it and use it as a force.

Foaly had just finished explaining the situation to the Commander when Grub Kelp skulked in. "What did you want?"

Foaly couldn't keep the grin from his face, "Guess whose big brother isn't dead?!"

Grub frowned and shook his head, "If this is your idea of a joke Foaly…"

"Nuh uh!" Foaly was ecstatic, "Look at this!" He pressed a button and the main screen instantly displayed Trouble's face. Grub's jaw dropped.

"Impossible…" He murmured, his eyes wide, "Trouble…Trouble's _alive?_" Tears shimmered in his eyes from lack of blinking and one slid down his cheek. The drop seemed to shake the Corporal and he sniffed and scrubbed his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "How?" He managed to ask, his voice hoarse.

"The whole crash was a plan," Foaly explained, tactfully ignoring Grub's tears, "Four humans were in the truck to shield Trouble from the blast. They all died, but remember those two cops that showed up so fast? They were in on it, and they stuffed Trouble in a bag and took him away."

"Why?" Grub was under control now, and his face was already hardening to the stoic mask he had worn for almost eight months, though a light shone in his eyes that hadn't been there before – it was hope.

"They needed him to heal a hybrid experiment to jump-start her magic," Foaly explained, "It's amazing how they figured it out. Using the sparks from an elf, which was in her genetic code already, to touch her own and begin the electric currents to activate them…"

"Foaly!" Grub shouted, "Where is he?"

"Oh, here," Foaly pointed to a map on a smaller screen, "He and Holly are with the hybrid…"

"Her name is Freda!" Holly's voice cut in, "Not hybrid or genetic experiment 101!"

"Alright, alright!" Foaly pouted, "Hmph!"

"I don't care what the girl is called!" Grub yelled, pushing Commander Tusk out of the way as he strode up to the screen, "Send me the co ordinates!"

"Corporal Kelp!" Tusk blustered, stroking his bushy brown beard and walrus moustache into submission. Foaly swore there was dwarf blood in Tusk – the way that beard moved when it thought no one was looking…

"Send me the co ordinates!" Grub growled in a tone no one had ever heard before. Foaly gulped. This new Grub didn't look like the kind of elf to be kept waiting. He pressed a key and the co ordinates zipped from his computer to Grub's helmet in a nano-second. Grub nodded to Foaly and grabbed a set of wings off the equipment rack as he stalked to the door.

"Corporal Kelp!" Tusk shouted, his bushy eyebrows coming down in a frown, "If you leave this room without a permit I will be forced to put you on probation!"

"Go ahead!" Grub yelled carelessly, "My brother is more important than my job!" Foaly smiled. Grub was more like Trouble than anyone realised.

_)O(_

_--BECAUSE I CAN'T DO SIMPLE SPACES...--_

_)O(_

Holly grinned as Foaly relayed what had happened and added that they were sending a small shuttle ship to pick them up, giving that the nearest chute was over a hundred miles away and Trouble was still very weak.

"Thanks Foaly," Holly spoke into her helmet mike gratefully, "We'll be waiting."

"And I'll be right there with you," Foaly grinned, spinning round in lazy circles on his chair.

Just less than an hour later the ship with Grub aboard landed. Freda gaped. She hadn't even heard it approach. It was just a small medi-ship by fairy standards but to Freda it was the sleek looking body, and the lack of noise it made that was amazing.

Grub leapt out and ran over to them. His face was alight with hope and his hair began to stick to his head as it began to rain. He crashed to his knees next to Holly and tenderly took Trouble's unconscious body from her. She looked into his eyes and nodded towards Freda, "She healed him. My magic wasn't enough, but she healed him."

Grub turned to the Mud Girl he had barely registered and Freda saw he was breathing heavily. "Thank you," He said, gazing at Freda with eyes that threatened to overflow with tears, "You saved him. Thank you." His lower lip trembled and he quickly bent his head over Trouble, whispering things neither Holly nor Freda could hear in his brother's ears.

The warlock on the medi-ship ran over. He was a small demon, his warlock robes dirtied with mud at the bottom.

"Number 1," Holly smiled a greeting. The demon warlock smiled back at her and knelt in the mud next to Grub. He placed his gnarled claws on the Captains body and closed his eyes. After a moment he opened them again.

"His injuries are non existent." He exclaimed in surprise, "How is this possible? All I can pick up is severe neglect and lack of nutrients."

"Freda healed his injuries," Holly explained, gesturing to the girl at her side. Freda bowed her head shyly, keeping her awe hidden. Number 1 tilted his head curiously.

"I should like to show you to Qwan," Number 1 mused before focusing once more on the task at hand. "Corporal Kelp?"

"Yes?" Grub was all business.

"Please walk by me in case Captain Kelp wakes up as I levitate him." Number 1 stood up and waved his hands in a complicated gesture, not seeming to notice that everyone took several hasty steps back. The demon's brow furrowed and he lifted his hands up, palms raised, as if lifting something.

Trouble Kelp's body rose slowly into the air, kept aloft by a force visible as the sort of shimmer that came off the road in summer, but tinged with tiny ripples of blue.

"Come on," Holly touched Freda's arm gently. "Follow me." The girl nodded timidly and walked inside. The ship was about the size of a large delivery truck inside, with Number 1 and two other warlocks (both elves) manning the controls. Corporal Kelp wouldn't leave Trouble's side, so Holly and Freda sat next to each other on the bench that ran around the inside of the left wall.

The journey was quiet, though Freda screamed when they dropped down the chute into Haven. One of the elf warlocks laughed, but Holly shut him up with a heavy glare. "Are you alright?" She asked the girl with concern.

Freda nodded weakly. "It surprised me," She breathed, "how fast it was."

Holly nodded. That was understandable. She turned her gaze to Trouble, and swallowed hard. He looked so small and weak…so thin. He didn't look anything like the elf she knew seven months ago. Closing her eyes, she tried to suppress the emotions welling to the surface.

_He missed you too_.

Holly's eyes snapped open and she looked at Freda, who wore a sad, wide-eyed expression. She gave the girl a glare that would have sent most fairies scurrying home to their mummies, but Freda only kept staring at her.

_I mean it. He…_ She bit her lip. _I'm not sure if he'd want me to tell you. He was embarrassed._

"What?" Holly whispered. The warlocks and Grub looked at her and she felt herself flush.

Freda smiled for a second. _Just think words, and I'll hear them._ She told Holly.

_You could've told me that before._ Holly grumbled. _What were you saying? What was Trouble embarrassed about?_

Freda ducked her head. _In the films, he always has to tell her himself. It works out then. I don't think he wanted you to know_.

Holly growled mentally and turned away. Back to Trouble. The emotions bubbled up again and she let them come this time, hoping that they would run themselves out. Fear that Trouble would die somehow…pain at the sight of him in such a state…ecstasy at finding him alive…fury at the humans who had made him suffer…and love. Holly closed her eyes tightly.

It was only after Trouble was gone that she had admitted to herself that she had loved him for a lot longer than she'd thought. She had gone through every moment they'd spent together, reliving each smile, each laugh…each touch. She'd sworn that if she could see him again, she would tell him how she felt. But…now that he really was back…

She couldn't. Freda shook her head sadly and looked at the floor, and Holly glared at her. Damn mind-reader.

* * *

_Sooooo?? Was Grub's reaction good enough? I'm a little indecisive over that._


	10. Return

_And here we go! Love and fairy cakes to 3SmartGirl, ht4eva, xXBeetle Of DestinyXx, Anare Silvermoon, good ol country girl, bubbles, catsrae, .hard and Fanatic-girl92. You guys are amazing and your support is making me sniffle._

**DISCLAIMER:** _Surely you get it by now._

* * *

On the way to the med centre, Trouble woke up. He blinked blearily – Grub was the first to see. "Trub!" He gasped. "You're awake! Oh, Trub!" He burst into tears and pulled his older brother up into a hug.

Trouble was sure he was dreaming, but that didn't make the feelings any less strong, and he sighed in Grub's arms. They were muscular. Yup – definitely a dream. Grub would never waste time in the gym. He was too whiny.

_It's not a dream_. Freda spoke into his mind, and a weary tear trickled from the corner of his eye.

_How could it not be a dream?_ He asked. _This is far too good to be true._

_Holly's here_.

Trouble's eyes flew open. Even in a dream he was eager to see Holly's face. He was mindful of his brother, however, and knew that saying Holly's name first would not be a good idea. Grub would probably tell Mummy. "Grub?"

His voice was cracked and hoarse, and the arms around him tightened, then let him down gently. "I'm here. You're alive, Trouble! You're really alive!"

"Yeah." Trouble coughed weakly, and turned his head slightly to see the most beautiful sight in his whole life – Holly Short smiling tearfully and holding a cup of water.

"I got him." She whispered, sliding her arm under Trouble's head and tilting it so he could drink without choking. His stomach flip-flopped – the first good feeling he'd had for what seemed like centuries.

"Hey, Holly." He breathed, unable to manage more volume.

"Hey, Trouble." She matched his whisper and lifted the cup to his cracked lips. "You look terrible."

He laughed weakly. "I bet I do." He took a gulp of water and sighed. He was exhausted.

"Go to sleep, Trouble." Holly whispered.

He shook his head. "I don't want to wake up. This is the first good dream I've had for months."

Holly smiled. "This isn't a dream, Trouble. Would a dream look this good?" She attempted a joke.

He sighed and smiled. "No." He admitted.

"Sleep." Holly ordered.

"Promise you won't go." Trouble swallowed as she lay his head back down and turned to look at his little brother. "You either. I don't want to be alone again…" Another tear carved a path through the grime on his face and he closed his eyes painfully.

Holly grasped his hand and squeezed tight. "Don't worry, Trouble." She told him in a fierce whisper. "We're not going anywhere!"

_)O(_

_--BECAUSE I CAN'T DO SIMPLE SPACES...--_

_)O(_

The first time Trouble heard Freda's voice with his ears instead of his mind was in his bed in the private bay of the Haven medical centre, a week after his return.

"How are you?" She asked shyly.

"Much better." He smiled. "Thanks to you."

"It's thanks to me you were captured in the first place." She said sadly.

"No." Trouble frowned. "They created you – it was their fault, not yours. How are you doing, anyway? What are you up to?"

She smiled cheerfully. "Number One and Qwan and the other warlocks are teaching me to heal fairies! And I met a human called Artemis Fowl." She shivered. "He was scary."

"He tends to have that effect on people." Trouble agreed wryly. "What was that like?"

"He talks very…" She frowned, searched for a word. "Coldly. His mind is full of numbers and confusion."

"Confusion?" Trouble raised his eyebrows. The great Artemis Fowl was confused? This he had to hear.

"Yes." Freda smiled. "But Qwan said that I shouldn't talk to other people about the insides of minds. Minds are private, he says."

Trouble sighed. There went his amusing story for the day.

Freda smiled guiltily. "I'm glad I figured that out before though."

"Why?" Trouble asked distantly.

"When we rescued you, on the med ship…" At Trouble's pained expression, Freda faltered, but forged on. "Well…I nearly told Holly you lo–"

"You didn't?" Trouble paled.

Freda laughed. "I said 'nearly'. But you know, I don't think it would have been a bad thing…"

"Trust me," Trouble stared into her eyes. "It wouldn't have been a good thing."

Freda picked up his fears and sighed. "What's the worst that can happen?" She argued, frustrated in the double knowledge that Trouble liked Holly, and Holly liked Trouble, and neither of them wanted the other to know. Relationships were so confusing.

Trouble looked away. _I don't want any more pain_. He thought, not wanting to say it out loud.

_How do you know that's what would happen?_ Freda argued.

"I just do." Trouble said stubbornly.

"Fine." Freda sighed. Would it really be that bad if she told at least _one_ of them that their feelings _were_ mutual? Qwan had said that even good things had to work out on their own…but Trouble was her friend, and Holly was so nice…

"Freda?" A sprite came around the corner and spotted the hybrid child. "Qwan says that he needs you."

"Alright." Freda nodded. "Thank you." The sprite nodded and flew away. Freda turned back to Trouble and smiled sadly. "I'll visit. Get well soon."

Trouble smiled and nodded, though as she left, he sighed and turned his face to the wall. He wanted to get well, but coming back from the dead was such hard work…

* * *

_Thoughts? From here the story will start to veer away from Freda and concentrate on Trouble. While I was writing there was quite a huge time-gap between the last chapter and this when my obession shifted from Arty Fowl to something else. Something like a year. Ulp. Can you tell?_


	11. Glass

_Wow guys, the positive response was overwhelming! I feel so loved!_

_Special love and fairy cakes go to Fanatic-girl 92, good ol country girl (ulp is like a shortened version of gulp), 3SmartGirl, ht4eva, catsrae (thanks!), Aria Cantata, xXBeetle Of DestinyXx, Anare Silvermoon (you're not English? Wow! Your English is better than mine! What country are you from?) and bubbles (A VIRTUAL COCONUT MACCAROON? How could I refuse?)._

**DISCLAIMER:** _Bla de bla de bla._

* * *

"_You're pathetic!" Luther/the demon sneered. "Too weak to be worth anything to anyone! Worthless! A freak!"_

"_Freak! Freak! Freak! Freak!" The little red creatures in the stands around him took up the chant, their faces twisted with malice. _

_Trouble stood in the centre of the stage in the middle, his hands clamped hard over his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut and crouched into a ball, rocking back and forth. _

_The Luther-demon boomed a laugh and a mirror appeared under Trouble. Mirrors sprang up all around him, and he couldn't escape the maze he was trapped in. He was crying, screaming, yelling, running as fast as he could, trapped in a blind panic. The shrieking laughter of the demons rose above his own voice, deafening him._

_He jerked to a halt and squeezed his eyes shut, curling into his ball again, but it was no good – his eyelids were transparent, and so were his hands when he tried to block out the mirrors, throwing images of himself back at him. Dirty, ugly, weak, worthless. He screamed, and the mirrors exploded, the glass slicing into him, ripping him limb from limb…_

Trouble woke with the scream still on his lips. He shut it off quickly and drew himself into a shaking ball, hugging his trembling knees to his bare chest. He realised his cheeks were wet and wiped away the tears hastily, though there was no one else in his apartment to see them. He was shivering, though he was drenched in sweat. He closed his eyes and let out his breath in a shaky sigh. The nightmares hadn't stopped. They'd started about two weeks after he'd returned – when he'd been taken off his sleeping pills.

It was two weeks after that, and he had dark circles under his eyes, and still couldn't eat much. He was constantly tired and on edge, and kept refusing to see Grub, his mother and Holly. He didn't want them to see him like this.

He got up slowly and walked over to the bathroom. He needed a shower. He wanted to feel clean again. A tear dripped from his right eye and he closed them in defeat, leaning his head against the doorframe. He wanted things to go back to the way they were before.

Ten minutes later he stood in front of the smashed mirror in his steamed-up bathroom. He had smashed it in a moment of fury a couple of days after moving in. A few pieces of razor-sharp glass still clung to the edges of the metal frame, and Trouble saw himself reflected in each one, even in the darkness he cloaked himself in these days.

"_Freak!"_

He closed his eyes, trying to block out the voices.

"_Freak! Freak! Freak!"_

"Stop it!" He muttered brokenly, squeezing his eyes shut.

"_FREAK! FREAK! FREAK!"_

"Stop it!" He cried, sinking to the floor and curling up on the tiles. His skull was pounding, and his hand touched something sharp that cut into his finger. The voices silenced for a second as the pain took centre stage in Trouble's mind. He frowned and opened his eyes.

A shard of glass – small, but wickedly sharp. Blood welled up from a shallow cut on his middle finger, and he stared at it in wonder as the voices became nothing more than a mutter. But as his magic healed the small cut and the pain receded, they grew loud and bold again. Desperately hopeful, Trouble reached for the glass and touched it to his palm, slicing it down.

The voices quietened and disappeared.

Trouble almost cried in relief. He knew what he was doing – self harm was used more by humans than fairies, and if anyone found out…but if this was the way to keep the voices at bay, then so be it. He clenched his fist around the glass shard and hissed as the edges cut into his hand. The pain was a sharp, welcome release from his inner demons.

_)O(_

_--BECAUSE I CAN'T DO SIMPLE SPACES...--_

_)O(_

Holly scowled as she wove a path through the crowded paths leading to Trouble's apartment building. The elf was avoiding them – her and Grub – and she had had enough. Damn it – he was her friend! She wasn't abandoning him without a fight, especially so soon after she'd gotten him back again.

Trouble was on one of the higher floors, apartment number 109. Holly was fuming with pent-up anger and frustration as she knocked sharply on the door. There was no answer. She scowled heavily and knocked again, harder this time. There was a sound from the other side and footsteps moved close to the door.

"What do you want?" Trouble sounded tired through the door and Holly frowned.

"Trouble? It's me. Let me in."

"Holly?"

"Of course. Open up."

"I told you I didn't want you to come over!" He sounded panicked and Holly narrowed her eyes.

"Surprisingly enough, I don't care. Now let me in."

There was a tension-filled pause, and then the lock clicked. Holly opened the door and stepped into darkness.

She gasped. Trouble's apartment was a mess – it was dark and dirty, light from outside filtering only faintly through the tightly shut curtains. Clothes littered the floor and the bed sheets were rumpled. There was a depression in the mattress, and there was a stuffy smell that made it clear the Trouble hadn't opened the windows in days.

"Trouble, what's happened?" Holly gaped, staring at Trouble's hunched back, turned away from her. His shirt hung off his frame and her eyes widened. "Have you even been eating?"

"Not much." He croaked.

"Not enough!" She shook her head and stepped forward, reaching out to his shoulder. "Trouble…" Her fingers brushed his shirt and he flinched away. Holly withdrew her hand, shocked. "What's wrong, Trouble?"

He shook his head, still not looking at her. "I'm fine."

Holly scowled. "You are not _fine_! Look at you! Look at your apartment!" She waved her arms expressively and Trouble jerked.

"I didn't ask you to come here." He snapped, going to the doorway to his bathroom. "Just leave me alone."

Holly's nostrils flared. Now he was making her mad. "You really think I'm going to leave you alone?" She asked dangerously. "Now that I've seen you like this?"

"Like what?" Trouble snarled, wheeling to face her. He was only three centimetres taller, but to a fairy, each centimetre counted for a lot. Holly couldn't answer – she just stared. Trouble's eyes were bloodshot and dark, blue-black bags shadowing the skin beneath them. His face was haggard, his cheekbones showing dramatically. He was paler than she had ever seen an elf, and it scared her.

"Trouble…" She whispered.

"Just go, Holly!" He snapped, waving an arm. "Just go!" Something on his wrist caught her attention and Holly grabbed his hand as it waved past her, ignoring his hiss of surprise.

She gasped as she saw what she had glimpsed – scars, red and sore, criss-crossing all the way from Trouble's upper arms to his hands. They were straight and perfect, and Holly could tell at a single glance that they were self-inflicted, and that Trouble had to be totally out of magic for the scars to be there at all. She raised shocked eyes to Trouble's humiliated ones.

"Trouble, what have you done?"

He snatched his hand away and rubbed it self-consciously. "It's nothing." He muttered, turning away. "Nothing to worry about. I'm fine."

"No you're not!" Holly almost yelled, tears starting in her eyes. She whipped her hand out and caught Trouble's face gently, turning him towards her. His eyes were fearful, and turned away from her touch, his hands balled into trembling fists. "What's wrong, Trouble?" She whispered. "Why are you doing this? Tell me."

He shook his head, the barest of movements, and closed his eyes. "I can't." He whispered, his voice cracking. "I just can't."

Holly saw his shoulders shake and felt her own breathing hitch as she pulled his trembling frame into a hug. He sniffed and tried to remain stiff in her arms, but when she slid her arms under his and rubbed his back, feeling the knobs of his spine poking through his shirt, he gave up and buried his head in the curve of her neck and shoulder, his own arms coming up involuntarily and clutching her tight.

"They only stop when I do that." He whispered brokenly. "The voices…his voice…always there!" He felt tears leak from his eyes and tried to squeeze them back.

"We'll make them go away." Holly promised fiercely. "I'll make them go away!"

Trouble laughed, and then sobbed. Holly drew back slightly, keeping her hands on the backs of his shoulders. She looked into his eyes, and he saw that she was tearing too, silent pearls rolling down her cheeks. He was insanely relieved that she wasn't insisting on professional help. She smiled, as if she was reading his mind.

"Come on." She said firmly, grabbing a zip bag from under his bed and throwing clothes into it at random. Trouble watched her, confused.

"What are you doing?"

"You're staying at my place." Holly told him in a tone that would brook no argument. "Come on." She zipped up the bag and grabbed his hand, tugging him towards the door. He jerked back.

"I can't…" He shook his head, his eyes pleading for Holly to understand. "Someone might see me." He whispered.

Holly nodded and picked up a dark hooded jacket. "Wear this." She decided. Trouble pulled it on slowly, and this time he couldn't find the energy to protest as Holly led him out into the light.

* * *

_Oh the angst! Thoughts are much appreciated and recieved with much love and muching of maccaroons..._


	12. Healing

_Oh my WOW! The last batch of reviews were amazing! Love and hugs and fairy cakes go to Aria Cantata, catsrae (I know just what you mean, and yes, I do celebrate Halloween, so thankies!), xXBeetle Of DestinyXx, Anare Silvermoon, ..x. (I live in England and LOVE Jammy Dodgers!), good ol country girl, XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX, Fanatic-girl92, bubbles (cheers for the maccaroons! I think I've become slightly addicted...probably no sequal on the horizon, no, sorry.) and ht4eva._

_Your reviews are truly love in its purest form. You guys are amazing! -sniff-_

**DISCLAIMER: **_I still own nothing. Even now._

* * *

Trouble woke up in Holly's bed. Holly was curled up in a bright green bucket chair opposite him, watching him through slitted eyes. She smiled as she saw him open his eyes and sit up groggily.

The light was unfamiliar, hurting his eyes. He hadn't gotten a proper look at Holly's place yesterday – she had basically laid him down on her bed and told him to rest. His face coloured as he remembered the next bit – how he had asked her to stay with him, and she had obligingly curled up next to him on the futon.

Avoiding her gaze, he looked around. Holly's apartment was much nicer than his – larger, and lighter, and much more airy. It was decked out in bright colours against the white walls, and her kitchen was immaculate. Fairy houses and apartments tended to be just one large room with a closed-off area for washing. Holly's kitchen, therefore, was opposite the futon, and the walls opened up into a larger space. He leaned forward and peered into the space behind the wall the futon was against, and saw two bright blue armchairs and a small projecting device on an orange table next to a desk covered in paperwork, under a large window.

It was so unlike his own apartment.

Holly watched as he looked around her apartment with wide eyes and got to her feet gracefully. "Hungry?" She asked nonchalantly, opening cupboards and pulling out food with practised ease.

Trouble frowned. He did feel a slight twinge in his stomach… "Yeah."

Holly smiled secretly. She knew a change of atmosphere would help her friend. She fixed them both fruit salads and nettle smoothies and sat down next to Trouble on her futon. She handed him his bowl and smiled. "Eat up."

Trouble ate tentatively, keeping his eyes on Holly the whole time. She pretended not to notice, and they finished at the same time. Trouble watched in silence as Holly washed the bowls and spoons and cups and put them away. Her life seemed so perfect.

She turned around and curled up in her green bucket chair again, staring at Trouble. He grew uncomfortable and looked away. Holly pulled her chair closer and reached out, her fingers touching his chin lightly and turning his face to hers slowly. He was nervous – she could read it clearly on his face.

"Ready to tell me now?" She nodded to his arms. He looked down and saw that all that remained were faint lines, barely noticeable. She must have healed him. He shifted uncomfortably, still half-covered by the blanket.

"I don't know where to start." He whispered.

"How about when the voices started?" Holly suggested, her hazel eyes deadly serious.

Trouble drew in a shuddering breath. "That was when I came off the sleeping medication."

Holly's mouth opened slightly, but she didn't interrupt, for which Trouble was intensely grateful. He swallowed hard and continued.

"Nightmares too…I had the same one a few times when I was…there." He closed his eyes. "Whenever I slept after the sleeping pills were taken away, I'd dream it. I'm always in a circus ring, and I get trapped in a maze of mirrors, and _he's_ there, the whole time…laughing and…and making it worse."

Holly frowned, and Trouble saw the question in the tilt of her head. He squeezed his eyes shut as he spoke the name of the human who had caused him so much agony. "Luther."

He took a deep breath and went on. "I found out by accident that…real pain made the voices stop. They'd go away for a while. But then they'd come back, and I'd have to do it again. I had to do it more and more, and my magic ran out, and I was running out of room on my arms…" He swallowed and raised his eyes to Holly's. "I just want it all to go away." He whispered.

Holly leant forward and rested her knees on the edge of the futon, pulling Trouble into a tight hug. "It will go away." She whispered in his ear. "But that's not the right way. It's not permanent, is it?"

Trouble shook his head weakly. "I didn't want you to see me like this." He whispered. "Or Grub. I just…I didn't want you to care."

Holly laughed tearfully. Gods – she was crying so much these days they would erect a fountain powered by her tears! "We'll always care." She pulled back and leaned her forehead against Trouble's. "When you died…or didn't die…" She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. "It was like part of us…me…died with you. I regretted so much…"

Trouble drew back, hurt, and Holly caught his meaning and shook her head vehemently. "That's not what I meant – I meant there was so much that I regretted _not_ saying and doing…that I swore I would have done if I could get just one more day with you…"

Trouble's eye shone with suppressed hope. "Like what?"

Holly saw the expression on his face and remembered what Freda had said on the med ship when they were bringing Trouble back - _In the films, he always has to tell her himself. It works out then. I don't think he wanted you to know_.

She swallowed and braced herself for embarrassment. "Like this." She leaned in quickly and kissed his lips, pulling back with flaming cheeks.

Trouble was frozen, his own cheeks beginning to burn. His eyes flicked up to Holly's, which were squirming under his scrutiny. "Freda was right." He realized out loud. At Holly's slight frown, he went on, his tone still surprised. "She hinted…when she saw me…"

"Me too." Holly admitted. They smiled at each other shyly, and Trouble leaned slightly closer. Holly sucked in a breath and closed the distance, their lips touching together gently, soft and warm and tasting of fruit.

* * *

_Sorry it's so short! It's nearly over! Only one more chapter, which is more of an epilogue really. But hey! they FINALLY kissed! -insert little chair-dance here- Thoughts are much appreciated. _


	13. Epilogue

_Oh jeezum it's over! It's all over! And this can't even be called the last chapter because it's too freakin' short! Waahaaa!!! I don't wanna end this! -sob-_

_Special love and friendship and eternal supplies of Halloween candy, coconut maccaroons, fairy cakes and of course the immortal reviewer's cookies go out to my faithful readers and reviewers - bubbles, good ol country girl, ht4eva, Fanatic-girl92, 3SmartGirl, xXBeetle Of DestinyXx, Anare Silvermoon and XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX. You're all amazing!_

**DISCLAIMER:** _If I could own Artemis Fowl...I'd probably screw it up and focus entirely on the faires. So we all know I'm not really the real author. Sadly._

* * *

Slowly, Trouble got better. He never returned to his apartment – he moved in with Holly permanently, and she helped him overcome his demons. Grub helped too – visiting often, telling stories of the LEP. Trouble knew his strangely toughened-up little brother (who still indulged in whining sessions every now and then) was trying to coax him back to the force, and eventually, he decided he was ready.

He told Holly late one night as they lay awake on their now shared futon. "Holls?"

"Mmm?" His arm was under her neck, and she held his hand where it lay on her shoulder. He took a deep breath and turned his head to hers. "I think I'm ready to go back to the LEP."

Holly smiled happily and rolled on top of him. "Finally!" She admonished him in between kisses. "I was beginning to think…I'd have to pay the bills…for the next hundred years!"

He laughed and rolled her over so he was on top and nuzzled her cheek gently. "For only a few more days." He promised, kissing her neck and making her shiver deliciously.

"Okay." She agreed happily enough as Trouble trailed his kisses lower and lower. She closed her eyes and wound her fingers into his dark hair. "I have…some news for you too." She gasped.

"Mmm?" Trouble's hands cupped her shoulders. "Is it _very_ important?"

Holly threw back her head with another gasp and swallowed convulsively. "It can wait." She breathed. Trouble chuckled and continued kissing her. Holly sighed gloriously. The news of her pregnancy could wait till tomorrow.

* * *

_Just thought I'd throw in the pregnancy thing there ;) Couldn't resist!_


End file.
